It's Good To Be Seen
by Vixen With A Vendetta
Summary: Season 5, AU, Kol/OC. She didn't want to be missed, she wanted to be seen. Kol finds company on the Other Side, together they find a way back to the living world, but learning to live again isn't as easy.
1. It's Good To Be Seen

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**This is just a short drabble inspired by the recent Kol appearance in TVD. I might do some more drabbles if the urge strikes me. If you have any specific requests, please leave a review! And of course tell me what you think!**

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"_**It's Good To Be Seen." – Kol Mikaelson**_

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_[Lenny Kravitz - Again]_

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She was nothing special. She was nothing pretty. She was nothing different.

She was just like the rest of dark figures looming about the Other Side. She hung her head in the same way, melancholy with isolation. These people, used to being alone in the darkness, have stopped bothering to look up to find the sun. The rays brought no warmth to their face and no hope to their eyes. But for this short time, he saw a glimmer.

It wasn't easy and uncomfortable at best. How had he put it to the Quarterback? That's right, it was all topsy turvy over here. That was putting it lightly, he had witnessed several other of these figures being pulled away into the darkness. For some reason, the others barely flinched or responded to their screams. How long had they been in this darkness that human agony didn't bother them? Admittedly, he was a far cry from a Saint and it secretly made him nervous he would go sooner than others, but even he had to turn a head when he heard those screams. Those desperate cries for anyone to see them, to help them.

But yet, he was just as helpless as the rest. Maybe that was reason they didn't bother looking up. They couldn't bear to face their own disappointment and failure.

They hung their heads instead, they chose to pretend they could not hear. They shuffled their feet slowly as they moved, more a sway than a waltz. There was no rush because time didn't matter anymore. He had enjoyed being immortal, but this was agony. There was no point to anything. It didn't matter if you moved quickly or slowly, no one would hear you. No one would see it. Everything ceased to matter, leaving him with nothing.

It was because of that he noticed her. When he was alive with his arrogance beating as steady as the blood in his veins and his attention moving just as quickly, he would've dismissed her. Just another non-descript, non-inspiring face of a crowd. But now, she was alone with her back pressed against the tree.

She shivered. That was what caused him to stop. It wasn't because she was cold. She had a short waist black leather jacket over her shoulders. Her arms weren't exposed, but yet she had them wrapped tightly around herself and he could see the quake in them from a distance. Her jacket was torn and stained, the faint smell of smoke lingering on it. It wasn't the type of smoke that came from cigarettes, something much more striking and chemical. His passed down from her jacket to her legs and the skirt of a dress that hung out from underneath the jacket. The stockings were torn at the knees, dirt smudged into the meshing around them.

She looked terrible and her face didn't do much to improve his assumption. His eyes moved back up. Her hair was dark in the dismal lighting of this alternate plane. However, he could imagine it under normal light, in the sun, in the warmth. It was long and wispy, the type of hair that easily got caught in the breeze. From some reason, it faintly reminded him of Maine, standing on the shore of the ocean. He didn't think about it much, his eyes were drawn to her rose lips, which were twisted with a grimace. They quivered with the tears that wouldn't fall from her face.

She looked up eventually, sensing the stranger staring at him.

He was right, she definitely reminded him of the Atlantic. Her hazel eyes had the same hue as the faint breaking of white caps in the ocean. Those moments he had spent by the ocean was breathtaking. It was so easy to be memorized by the movement of the water, but forget the power behind it. To forget how violent and dangerous it actually was. It was something very much to be afraid and weary of, like the way she was looking at him.

"Can you see me?" Her voice was a whisper, carried gently across the breeze. A broken promise.

She stared at the stranger in the brown jacket with stunning pale features. His brow line was harsh, like his glare. His hair was tousled from either aggravation or stress, it was easy to see where the hands had been wrangle from it. Like her, he was worn down. He didn't bother smirking this time. He didn't bother with an arrogant comment. Time was endless and precarious here, like the others, he was afraid.

He just gave a short nod and moved forward to approach her. He took the question as an invitation, to be seen and heard again. His hands were stuffed casually into his pockets. She continued to stare at him blankly. The quiver in her lips stopped, but her shoulders didn't.

Looking at those eyes, he changed his mind. She reminded him more of Ipswich, not Maine. The grey hue of her eyes were piercing and biting, like the salty aroma and the bitter snap gusts brought to your cheeks in Ipswich. Maine had always been more warm and wholesome to him, less jaded than her.

"Where are we?" The snap was evident in her tone, even if she wasn't accusing.

"The Other Side," The faint smirk on his lips showed more out of habit than anything else.

A frown appeared in her brow line. Her lips had once been stained with red lipstick, now they were faded and chapped. "The Other Side?" She repeated dubiously, once again looking around at her imprisonment in confusion.

"Yes," He replied to her shortly. He cocked his head at her with curiosity to gauge her reaction. It made sense then. Her skittishness, alertness to everything, and now all her confusion brought him to the conclusion she was relatively new here.

"That's…" Her voice began uncertainly, and he just waited for it the typical response. That's ridiculous, that's absurd, that's impossible – you know, the usual.

"A rather stupid name," She mumbled more to herself than him.

A noiseless snort passed through him. Maybe it was just because he was tired and strained from everything else, but he grinned down at the ground. "It isn't very original, is it?" He quipped, the grinning growing even broader at his own choice of words.

The woman just gave him a short nod, her eyebrows flickering up briefly at his reaction. Quintessential denial, he concluded.

"What are you, sweetheart?" He asked of her, thinking it was safe to cross witch off the list because of her ignorance – leaving werewolf or vampire. It wasn't that he really cared much for the small talk, but finally his voice and his screams were being heard again since the veil had been down. It made the smallest of syllables seem monumental.

The woman's face scrunched up with irritation at the pet name. He was already calling her _Miss Crane_ in his mind. That was what she reminded him of, a distance beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts. It was picturesque on the surface, but the sand was rough and the waves would cut you against the rocks.

"I don't know what you mean, but I'm not your sweetheart," _Miss Crane_ replied sharply.

His fingers twitched in his pockets. They itched to wrap around her throat and remind her to show a little respect where it was due.

But he remembered, she clearly didn't have the faintest idea who she was talking to. And despite his encounters with the MFG, he didn't want to strangle _every_ person he met.

"Fair enough, darling. Do you know how you got here?" He asked into, using the conversation to distract him from the previous one he had with the quarterback and what could happen to them at any point.

Her expression fell at the gentleness of his tone. There was still a hint of irritation in her eyes that he just ignored her and went with a different pet name.

"No," She admitted frankly. She didn't understand much of what happened to her.

"I remember," She recalled the blurred night that brought her to this mess. "Going to the party with my friend, Tiffany. It was just a normal Saturday outside of campus, at a frat house. I was going to drive home afterwards, I know I shouldn't have, but you know how it goes sometimes…" She gestured vaguely to her head and the lapse of judgment alcohol typically brought.

"I was walking to my car when this man grabbed me," _Miss Crane_ frowned deeply, staring vaguely at the ground while she spoke. It was confusing still, she remembered, but only well after it happened for some reason. "And he pushed me against the car, he ripped my dress… I thought he was going to…" Her fingers fidgeted absently with the zipper of her jacket. He had a feeling it was closed for a reason.

This stranger speaking to her remained quiet while she spoke. He didn't seem sympathetic or particularly upset, he watched her behind a cold mask of indifference only colored by curiosity. It unnerved her, but finally someone was listening to her.

"Instead, he bit me," She spat out with dumbfounded distaste. She gestured the bite motion to her neck. "It hurt so much, it really stung. He literally bit into my neck, I mean… Who does that?" Her expression morphed with disgust.

"A vampire would," He replied to her with that faint smirk. That smirk must be his thing, she thought.

His words caused her to stop and look at him with clarity again. He heard a faint snort. "Right, sure," Her tone was dry with dismissing disbelief.

He just shrugged his shoulders casually. If she didn't want to believe him, it wasn't his job to tutor her.

"Anyway," She moved on, shaking her head. "I don't know what happened to him," She admitted. One moment it seemed like she was being attack and the next she was stumbling back into the house to find Tiffany. "I found Tiffany and we decided to get out of there… I didn't tell her about the bite, because it was just gone…" She didn't understand how it could be possible, it seemed like such a vivid memory. "I just got in the car and just wanted to go home."

While he was hearing a story about a lost and frightened girl being traumatized, all he heard was the sound of a vampire snatching a drink, feeding her some blood from the sounds of it and erasing her memory.

"I was so dizzy," _Miss Crane_ recollected the night and the glare of lights. Some were red, green, and a blinding white. "The lights… I don't know, I just – hit a tree," She didn't know what point she swerved off the road, truthfully. She didn't know that she was going much too fast. She just heard Tiffany's screams and felt the force of the impact. "I remember the sound of the wood splintering, the awful crack it made before the tree fell on top of my car."

"When I woke up," _Miss Crane's_ voice cracked just thinking about it. The tears were so close, but they wouldn't fall. Maybe she ran out of them to shed. "Everything was red, there was so much blood," Her bottom lip quivered again. It had been on the windshield, permeating into the cracks of the glass. It was across the dashboard. It was smeared across her hands, the right side of her body, from the passenger's seat. "Tiffany's blood was everywhere."

She remembered the horror of feeling her friends blood splattered across her body, on her hands, her arms, her shoulders, even her chest and her mouth down to her chin. It wasn't nearly as nauseating as looking over and seeing her friend crumbled beneath the collapse tree trunk. Only fragments of skull bones and matted dark hair was distinguishable amongst the sticky and clotting blood.

"I called 911 and waited for them to come help me," _Miss Crane_ continued, recovering a little bit of her composure. "The driver door had collapsed on my hip and I couldn't get out anyway," Truthfully, she felt too ill and disorientated to do anything but wait when the operator promised her they would be there soon and she wouldn't alone.

The man before her now didn't have the heart to point that she likely had the strength to get out, but she just didn't know it.

"I remember sitting there, leaning against the steering wheel – waiting for help – when the sun came up," Her voice fell to a soft whisper. The harshness of the man's expression fell as well, realization dawning like her death.

"It was so bright, so beautiful," She had never seen it so magnificent than before. It seemed like there were colors to the rays she had never seen before. "So warm," She murmured, "And then all I felt was _pain_." White-flashing hot pain.

He could imagine her awe, newborn with heightened senses. Right before it was filled with screams, cowing from the light. He could imagine the blisters on her skin, followed by the red, burning before she herself caught afire – to be left in ashes before the police even arrived.

It humbled him to think about it. This wasn't the first time the thought occurred to him, but it was the first time it ever had a name, a face, or became a person to him. He wondered how many ordinary people, like her, had been unexpectedly turned. How many had been abandoned from the beginning with no explanation – whether intentionally or by accident. How many had burned in the sun for sins they did not commit.

"What happened after that?" He asked of her. He didn't count how long it took him to say that. Time was different here.

He had been silent for so long, she almost forgot he was still standing there. "I woke up here," She shrugged her shoulders vaguely. "No matter how much I yelled and screamed, the police walked through me. They didn't notice me. They said I was missing," She explained, feeling the frustration of being ignored by everyone. Because of her call to 911 and the fact the police found nothing when they arrived, they thought she had been abducted.

"I couldn't hug my own father or mother when they buried me," She pressed her lips together defiantly, to keep them from quivering this time. There wasn't even a body in the casket to bury. "It didn't matter, they couldn't hear me – I just wanted _someone_ to hear me," She didn't know how long she had been on this Other Side now. If someone could hear her, she wouldn't be alone then.

"I can hear you," The man pointed out softly.

Despite herself, a small grin tugged on her lips at that right. He was right.

Finally, at last, someone could hear her.

His lips mirrored her grin. He decided he liked that small grin on her face. She had pronounced, shapely dimples on her cheeks. Who knew? This grin suited her much more than the anguish he witnessed before.

"What's your name, darling?" He asked before he thought better of it.

However, the question caused the grin to disappear immediately. "Don't do that," She warned harshly.

The breeze of _Miss Crane_ was bitter, refreshing and chilling.

"Do what?" He deadpanned, somewhere between confused and offended by her reaction.

"This," She waved a hand between them. "You're a face," She explained. A rather handsome, easy on the eyes face, she thought to her herself. "And a voice," His accent wasn't one that she was used to hearing, but pleasant. "But as soon as you tell me a name, then you become a person," She said. He wouldn't be a ghost, but an actual being in her mind. He would be human.

"Another person that I'll miss when you're gone." It didn't matter if she liked him or not, but she would long for simple human interaction. "And you'll miss me when I'm gone, but I'm tired of being mourned and missed." She was so exhausted from watching her loved ones cry and yearn for her. She was right beside them, but they couldn't feel her. She wanted to tell her friends that she was okay, she was fine. They didn't need to be scared.

"I don't want to be missed, I want _to be seen_," _Miss Crane_ pleaded genuinely. It didn't matter by whom or what. His face and voice provided that for the first time since her entrapment, it was a simply beautiful gift. She couldn't ask for more.

He nodded numbly at her, but didn't anything. He didn't have it in him to stop her when she wrapped her arms around her frame and walked away from him. Her shoulders weren't shaking, but she was looking up – towards the sky.

She had what he did not – those who mourned and missed her. There was one thing he could agree with her though; it was good to be seen.


	2. To Be Human

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Here is another drabble meant to chronologically fall after the last one. Thanks, songtoyou, your support is amazing! Again, I am taking requests, so please hit that review button.**

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"_**He doesn't deserve to be human in my eyes." – Miss Crane**_

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_[Gary Jules – Mad World]_

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Clothing and appearances were a tricky thing on the Other Side. Admittedly, it took him a while to figure out how it worked, too. It wasn't like the living world where you woke up every morning and wasted thirty minutes trying to decide what outfit to wear before finally settling on the first one you had started with. No, appearances were very reflective of your mood and your mental state on the Other Side. The more unhinged you were becoming, the more it looked like you were falling apart.

He wasn't really sure what to say about himself. His appearance did change a little bit on the Other Side, it was never constant, except for his clothing. He still wore the same clothing as the ones he had burned to death in. Maybe it was reflective of the war inside of him; the part of him that desired to move on to something else, but it he was still so fixated on his murderers.

The real reason he noticed this trend wasn't because of himself, but he saw it in her. He saw her several times more and each time he thought she looked a little better. The holes in her stockings disappeared, instead having smooth fabric curving over the angles of her knees. The most striking difference when he noticed the day her hair was brushed and curled gently, it wasn't full of that smoky scent or clumped together by dried blood. He knew it wasn't the same as coping with depression in the living world, but it still seemed like a small victory when he noticed. The glossy shine to her hair that day told him, 'Yes, there is a part of me worth saving today. This is worth trying for.'

He talked to her several times, but it was really more of a bizarre chess match. Just when she would soften up, she would snap shut quickly again – like a Venus fly trap. He was the same. Their conversations were a challenge of carefully guarded confessions and snarky comments before one got irritated with the other and left. It was quite an amusing waltz to him and quite frankly, there was very little else left to do in this world.

"For a dead man, you sure hang around cemeteries a lot," Her voice interrupted up his pacing.

He stopped and pulled his hands away from the scowl on his face. She was leaning her shoulder against a tree, not too far from the place he had been talking to the blonde boy from.

"Consider it a little unfinished business, darling," He replied to her with an insincere smirk. His eyes darted back to the tombstone in front of him that read _Vicki Donovan_.

What was taking the human boy so long? He shouldn't have gotten through to the Bennett witch by now. They didn't have time for dilly dawdling. He already had seen more people being dragged away.

"With who?" She wondered. There was still the subtle glare at the nickname, but he found that she tolerated darling more than sweetheart.

"The ones who murdered me," He growled out. It was sick and twisted, the ones that banished him to this hell he was now relying on any chance of staying here, to keep it from falling apart. What did that they say about his siblings?

"Oh, don't look at me like that," He snapped out when he saw the expression she gave him. It was small, but the unimpressed rise of her eyebrows and the hardening of her eyes was telling enough. "You can't tell me you don't have any unfinished business yourself."

"I did, but not anymore," She admitted to him in a gentle tone. He glared at her, it almost sounded like there was pity in her tone. "Now I'm just trying to find somewhere to _be_," She said, glancing around to the surreal woods they stood in. They weren't welcoming, but it was better than being back in Richmond.

He just nodded. He remembered hearing her say how she couldn't stand to go back home. She didn't want to watch those missing or try to watch them carrying on with their lives, like if everything was going to be okay. It was never going to be okay for her.

"You did?" He repeated dubiously. "You found him?" He found it hard to believe.

"Yes, the man who killed me –"

"The vampire who turned you," The Original corrected her swiftly.

Her expression froze momentarily before muttering dryly, "Right." He tried to explain the supernatural to her before – although rather halfheartedly – he still wasn't sure if she was convinced or just went along with it because she believed him to be crazy.

"He's here in this town," She said.

This drew his attention even more, perhaps out of curiosity more than anything else.

She saw this. "Come on, I'll show you," She raised a hand for him to follow her.

He hesitated, torn. For the first time, she wasn't walking away from him, but beckoning him to come with. The temptation was strong to go with her. At the same time, his eyes went back to the tombstone. If the Donovan boy was to come back, he would be here.

But how long would he have to wait for him to die again to speak to him? He didn't know and it was because of that reason he decided to follow her. For just a little while, he decided to put his fears about the fate of the Other Side aside and follow this plain, ordinarily boring girl.

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"You're a bit of masochist, aren't you?" He taunted her as he stepped through the doorway. He wanted to hold it open, but only the patron ahead of him could.

Her eyes narrowed at him, both inquisitive at what he meant, but recognizing the cheek in the tone. She was right behind him.

"You want people to see you – so you come to the place you would be the most invisible," He pointed out, his eyes glancing briefly back to the sign that read _Mystic Grille._

"Ah, right," She replied with sudden mock understanding. "How silly of me to forget locking myself away and becoming a hermit is the more sensible and emotionally stable thing to do," She drawled out sarcastically before stepping around him and heading for the bar area.

He smirked, because for a brief moment he saw the slight upturn of the corner of her lips. It was so quick, he almost missed it, but he wanted to see it again.

"Well, you're already halfway there with the hermit look," He gave her appearance a glance over. The jacket he noticed was about three sizes too big, clearly not hers. The singed look and smell with all the various stains did nothing to enhance her plain features. His living self wouldn't have given this girl much thought.

She shot him a harsh glare over her shoulder. There was no grin that time. Okay, maybe that statement had been a little too mean, he thought absently while following her up to the bar.

He almost found it humorous that she chose to step around people to get there, as if she wasn't a ghost that could walk right through them. No one gave the pair a glance. She paused at the bar and just sat in the stool, people watching at first. He leant his back against the counter after giving the partially empty glass from the previous customer a longing glance before the bartender swiped it away. The tender was one of the local college students who moved unaware of the ghostly presence.

The longer he stood there, the more he hated it. He glared sourly at all the ignorant mortals, unaware of the blessing they had. They took for granted the fact they could hold someone's attention from across the room with a simple glance. They took for granted the sound of their laughter and the fact other people could revel in it. Simple, basic human interaction – it was so bittersweet to see it unfold in front of him.

"Once my memories came back, it didn't take me long to find him," _Miss Crane_ broke him out of his thoughts. His head turned to her and she was watching someone else from across the bar. "I felt drawn, like I just knew where he was."

The Original nodded, he knew the burning desire for revenge all too well. It took precedent over everything else when the veil was down. In hindsight, maybe he should have used that opportunity to reconcile with his siblings – but the harsh voice of reality in the back of his mind told him those relationships were beyond repairable, especially any fix one night could bring.

"What did you do to him?" He asked.

This time she gave him an odd look. "Nothing," She said, not even bothering to point out how hard it would be for her to do anything. "I followed him for a bit and watched him," She tore her eyes away from her attacker to the Original, who she surprisingly held his sole attention. "And I realized there was nothing I could do to make him more miserable or pathetic than he already is."

A grin lit up on his face at the viciousness of her words, but she said it so calmly and smoothly.

She then gave a nod with a point of her finger across the bar. He followed her gaze and almost instantly the grin fell off his face.

"_Him_? He's the one?" The grin was replaced by a snarl, glaring at the man in the black leather jacket, nursing the glass of brandy at the other side of the bar.

"You know him?" She was surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Unfinished business, so to speak," He repeated his words from earlier, gritting his teeth together before he could help himself.

Her eyebrows rose, interested, thrilled, but alarmed by the anger that radiated off of him. It was impressive, volatile and she was glad it wasn't directed at her.

"He killed my brother, humiliated me, and then played a hand in killing me," He explained shortly, his fingers itching to wrap around the adolescent vampire's throat.

Oh, she thought, her fate didn't seem nearly as bad when it was compared to that. It unnerved her that their fates involved the same person though.

"Don't tell me his name," She requested after a tense silence between them. The Original spent it glaring at the blue-eyed Italian.

Her request caused him to look back to the woman who reminded him of the crisp winter ocean. She still never told him her name. She wouldn't let him tell her his name either. The tone in her voice was harsh and unforgiving, she didn't want her attacker's name for a different reason than the Original's.

"He doesn't deserve to be human in my eyes," She explained coldly. She could hate him right now because he was a faceless monster and nothing more. She didn't want him to be anything more.

The Original nodded tersely and looked back to the source of her anguish and his anger.

_Damon Salvatore._


	3. Look At Me

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**A drabble based on being able to feel again and hands. Still taking requests, I'm going to post the drabbles mostly in chronological order, so yours may not come up right away! **

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"_**I want you to look at me when I touch you." – Kol Mikaelson**_

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_[My Hands - Jewel]_

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He didn't know why she continued to linger around him. His company was like a disease, a parasite. It ate away at the most of innocent until they were dead. He didn't have anything of value to offer her. He had only his personal agenda, his desires and his urges because he quite frankly didn't care about anyone else's. But yet, she continued to show up, more and more of her own accord. If it was because of some secret physical attraction, he had to admit she kept it to herself better than most mortals. He didn't catch her eyes wandering away during their conversations. If anything, it was noteworthy how well she was able to keep eye contact while speaking to him. It seemed more and more these days that mortals felt uncomfortable with someone who can stare back unblinkingly through a conversation.

She was starting to look better. The singe appearance of her clothes disappeared the fourth time he saw her, not that he was counting or anything. The color of her dress seemed a little brighter, a cherry red. He caught a sight of the v-neck shape and suggestion of her breasts the one time she had left the zipper of the black leather jacket open. Now that her cheeks weren't stained with smeary mascara and makeup, he had to admit she was pretty. Ordinary, but pretty.

"And this Matt – the one you asked for help now," _Miss Crane_ deciphered the situation carefully, trying her best to understand. While she wouldn't take his name, it didn't stop her from asking all sorts of questions about him.

Her eyes watched the Original pacing back and forth among the tombstones while the spike of her black heels dangled off one of them.

"Is also the one that staked your brother?" She clarified dubiously.

The Original paused, his expression scrunched up sourly at the way she put it. "That's the one," He confirmed, not actually looking at her. It was unsettling lately. He could see more ghosts lingering around them, they weren't close enough to intrude on their conversation. But it was like the ghosts were sticking close together, they could feel how the Other Side was starting to unravel and no one wanted to wander off alone.

"The same one that spent all summer shagging your sister," She went on, the judgment towards his sibling evident on her face.

He stopped in his tracks, his expression growing even sourer. "Why do you have to do that?" He snapped out, looking at her properly this time. She had her hands against the tombstone she was currently using as a stool with her ankles dangling, hooked together.

"Do what?" She raised an innocent eyebrow.

"Say shit like that," He grumbled out. When she put it that way, it sounded just completely messed up. He would like to think it was a little more complicated like that, but she had the tendency of bluntly calling everything he told her like that.

A rueful smile showed on her lips. "It's not my fault your life is a sadistic, twisted mess," She shot back at him smoothly.

His eyes narrowed at the smile. It was malicious, but sweet, something that endeared itself to him. At the same time, he would have really liked to snap her neck for the lack of respect and the rude comment.

"And yours is much better?" He challenged, stalking towards her. "Do tell," He demanded, closing the distance between them. He placed his hands on the outside of hers against the tombstone. The way he leaned over her like a predator, boxing her against the stone caused her back to go stiff.

"I don't think so," She kept the composure on her expression better than her heart rate and her body did. "My twenty-two years isn't nearly as interesting as your thousand," She pointed out. The troubles with her exams and previous relationships seemed minuscule compared to what she heard from him. "Or however many you say there are," She couldn't help but add on.

His eyes remained narrow on her and he cocked his head a bit. This time he wasn't looking at her out of anger or annoyance, but curiosity. "You still don't believe me, do you?" He wondered aloud. She was one of the worst sceptics he's run into a while. She was literally trapped on the Other Side, how much evidence did she need?

"I'm trying to," She admitted in a soft whisper, the smiling slipping off her face. As she spoke, she realized this was the closest he had ever been physically to her. She could see that his eyes actually had a light amber shade to them in the light, rather than the stark, almost black flare from a distance.

"But part of me still feels like this is just a dream and I'll wake up back in my apartment any moment," She confessed. She felt smaller under his stare, even more fragile than how she had ended up here. Being able to see or hear anyone from the living world made her feel weak.

"But you're afraid you won't wake up," He found the rest in her eyes. It was the same look of fear that the idea of being dragged away to the dark side brought him.

His words were soft and washed over her like the ebbing of the tide. They weren't uncertain, they were so sure and absolute. He didn't doubt what he saw and it caused her to stiffen that he was able to pluck it out of her so easily. She inhaled sharply.

Just like that, he could see the wave crashing against the rocks with a violent force. Calm and serene one moment, but cold and unfeeling the next.

"I have to go," She murmured, dropping her gaze from his. She bowed her head and stood up stiffly, even though there was little between them. She tried to brush past them.

Just like that, like their normal verbal dances, she was about to leave. It was always one or the other, but this time he didn't want her to go just yet. He acted out on impulse.

"Wait," He called and reached out to her forearm to stop her.

His fingers wrapped the thick leather and gripped her tightly.

_Miss Crane's_ figure jerked slightly from the interruption before she startled. She glanced down in alarm at his hand on her arm. The Original was about to say more, but then it occurred to him as well.

His expression deadpanned. He could feel the slight gloss in the surface of the leather. Beneath his fingertips, he could feel her forearm, narrow and delicate. It wouldn't take much of his strength to break it.

"You can feel that?" He looked up to _Miss Crane's_ wide-eyed, alarmed eyes.

She managed a faint nod before turning her shoulders back to him. How was that possible? She wondered. His fingers loosened up on her arm, but didn't let go. Instead, they slid down to her wrist. She only numbly watched his actions.

He was somewhere between excited and terrified. It thrilled him, the idea of being able to feel and touch someone else again. At the same time, he knew something was very, very wrong with the Other Side. He knew parts of it were being stretched to the limit and starting to fall apart. If he could touch other ghosts, surely this was another sign, and what would come next couldn't be good.

It didn't stop his fingers from curling around hers in wonder though. The simplest touch, the pressure of her fingers gripping his tightly sent his heart racing – simply because he could feel something again.

"It's strange," She observed, staring down at their hands. The rest of her body tried to ignore his proximity and focus on their discovery. She could feel the callous of his hands, the ridges and sharp angles of his phalanges, but there was no warmth to it.

He nodded, noticing how he could feel her, but it wasn't the same as when he was living. There was no comfort in the touch, but it was there. Without letting go of her hand, he brought his other hand swiftly to her face.

She flinched as soon as his fingers brushed her chin.

The last person that touched her that way ripped out her throat. It didn't stop the Original from forcing his fingers under her jaw. "Look at me," He ordered, forcibly turning her head back towards him.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, but he could feel just how delicate she was under his hands. He could feel the softness of her flesh, with a little pressure he could feel the bone underneath. "Open your eyes!"

"I want you to look at me when I touch you," He said a little more gently, seeing her fear and panic in the wrinkling of her features.

Reluctantly, she followed his order. She half expected to see black veins and blood red fangs like the last time someone held her face in such a way. Instead, she just saw those amber hues and a thin set of lips. He didn't move, he just studied her closely. What he was searching for, she didn't know and it unnerved her even further.

But eventually, she did start to relax. There was one thing she recognized in him, which was a lack of malicious intent. No, he was simply staring at her like she was a fascinating puzzle. He wasn't looking at her necessarily as another person, but it didn't seem like he would hurt her.

He sensed her being to relax, at least to the point she wouldn't immediately bolt when he let go. The fingers under her jaw eased up. They slide up to her cheek, cupping the flesh with his palm while the tips disappeared into her hairline.

She wasn't sure if she found the affectionate gesture comforting, because she doubted it was coming from anywhere personal to him. He was too busy marveling in how he could feel the smoothness of her skin and the faint coarseness of her hair without any of the human warmth. But it was still an intimate moment that caused her eyes to wander over his face, wondering what other physicality he would explore.

She wasn't a prude or a hermit or any of the things he liked to tease her about. She just had more self-control than he gave her credit for, but only so much. Her eyes couldn't help but flickering to his lips a few times. If this is what being able to feel someone's hands again was like, she wondered what other things would feel like.

There was a tremble in the air and a quake in the earth.

It broke them out of their trance. Before she thought better of it, she took a step closer to him. One hand clutched at his jacket and the other still in his. She was startled by the ominous shade that had settled over the cemetery.

"What was that?" She asked aloud, looking around at the way the breeze was suddenly picking up.

He almost answered her, but he was momentarily stunned and amused by her instinctive reaction to step closer to him – rather than away. He quirked an eyebrow, staring down at the sparse space between them.

The woods gave a hollow, breaking him out of the revelry. The other ghosts around them had stopped in their shuffling. There was a faint murmuring. The wind picked up, whipping Miss Crane's hair around violently this way and that. It sent a chill to his bones as the clouds grew thicker over the area in the matter of seconds.

"No," He realized what was happening.

It was coming, and he just _knew_. Every fiber in his being told him it was coming for him this time.

"What's happening?!" Her voice was just a faint shout over the shuddering of the landscape around them. The quaking of the earth sent a jarring sensation through his knees.

"No, no _no_," He repeated, his hands tightening his grip on her. It couldn't come now, not when he had just discovered this. Not when he was finally able to feel someone else again. Not now. It wasn't fair. He couldn't go now, he couldn't let the darkness drag him away.

A gust of wind was enough to knock the force of one's knees. A screech rose through the air and the ground came up quickly in their vision.

Except it was_ her_ scream that filled the air.

It was her feet that got pulled out from under her, not his. She was the one yanked back. The wind sucked her towards the depths of the darkness in the woods. He remained standing where he was while he felt her starting to slip from his fingers.

She was being pulled away into the darkness, not him, but screaming _his_ name with desperation and helplessness:

"_Kol!"_


	4. Never Let Go

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**I know a lot of you have taken the time to read this, so please spare a few seconds to leave your thoughts in a review! Thank you!**

* * *

"_**You have a queer way of showing gratitude, darling." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Breaking Benjamin – Sooner or Later]_

* * *

The darkness couldn't take her. To let it take her would destroy all hope for the rest of them. She was nothing, but an ordinary human girl with unfortunate luck. She had barely been supernatural for a few hours before being ignorantly burned alive. She had brought no one harm during her existence. She had taken no lives. If the darkness was willing to take her, what would that say for the rest of them? What would say that for the inexperienced witch that dabbled in dark magic? What would that say for the naïve werewolf that unknowingly claimed a life during the full moon? What would that say for a vampire, like himself, who had slaughtered mercilessly for centuries?

It was because of that Kol Mikaelson lunged after _Miss Crane_. He caught her by the elbows as the darkness tried to drag her away, on her stomach through the dirt.

Her nails dug into his arms desperately, her eyes were wide with pure unadulterated terror. "Don't let go of me!" She begged, over the howling of the wind. The depths of the darkness behind her let out a displease screech.

"I'm not letting go," He shook his head stubbornly, his hands digging into the fabric of her jacket fiercely. Even though he said those words, he could feel his knees dragging in the dirt, pulling him along with her. He chose to look into her eyes, like a lighthouse in a raging storm, rather than the darkness overtaking her.

He gritted his teeth and tried with his might to pull her back, but it was stronger than him. Much stronger, much more deadly and formidable.

The ghosts around them had stopped in their shuffling. They picked their heads up with keen interest, not used to seeing someone trying to stop another from being dragged away. They weren't able to interact at all before, they watched with morbid curiosity.

They watched as the girl started to lift from the ground, the shadows swallowing her up to her waist. It was impossible to tell what was pulling her, but that didn't stop the young man from trying to keep her. He rose up to his feet with her and dug his heels into the ground.

"Somebody! Help!" Kol finally yelled out to the others, knowing they were watching. He refused to take his eyes off _Miss Crane_. The only coherent thought that ran through his mind on repeat was to not let her go. It couldn't be her.

He felt his knees buckle. His expression twisted with despair when he realized he was being pulled in as well. He could see his anguish reflected in her eyes. She knew it too.

A hand grabbed at his shoulder.

He didn't dare divided his attention from holding onto _Miss Crane_ to see who it was. He felt another grab at his other shoulder, an elderly hand of ebony skin tone.

Another wrapped around his waist before being followed by an arm around his leg. He didn't look around to count how many there were, but he could feel more and more people crowding around them. Other voiceless ghosts that were now tugging him back. He felt the darkness give and screech with protest. The noise was piercing and he fought the reflex to cover his ears.

"Kol!" He heard her repeat his name several times over.

The darkness shrouded away from her hips, exposing them more as the crowd of people clutching onto Kol heaved back.

"I'm not letting go," He repeated. Other hands reached up with his to the girl.

There was a blinding flash of a light, causing him to cringe.

Then he felt an impact to his chest, knocking him backwards.

* * *

Her heart raced and hammered uncontrollably. She just wanted the ground to be still, the earth beneath her to be solid, to prove that she was still here. To prove that she wasn't in the depths of that hellish hole. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her fingers tightly. She wanted to pick her head up and see, but at the same time, she was afraid to find out the worst. She was afraid to see what the fabric she was clutching to actually belong to.

But the ground beneath her didn't lie still, it was awkward and a little bit uncomfortable. It kept moving, rising up and down. She tried to calm her breathing, it almost matched it, but the ground moved a little slower.

She opened her eyes and didn't find a face full of dirt, mud or grass, but rather a heavy fabric material. A jacket, more specifically, and the rise and fall came from the chest she was haphazardly sprawled against. She picked up her head to first see the chin and jawline of the arrogant man she had been clutching onto for dear life.

She didn't care about the hands on her waist and the indecent way she laid on top of him, because she was actually still here with him. He was awake and felt her moving, lifting his head with a slight grimace. He tried to smirk, but it came out strained.

"As much as I enjoy the view, could you please move your knee a bit?" He requested through hissed teeth. Her dress was doing no favors for being modest from his point of view, but given the situation, he wasn't exactly getting a chance to properly enjoy it.

Hearing his voice snapped her out of her daze, she shifted her knee immediately and scrambled to get off of him completely. She shot back in a flay of limps before landing on her rear on the ground. Looking around them, it seemed like a small explosion had gone off. All the ghosts that had been helping Kol were scattered around. They didn't seem hurt as they unsteadily rose to their feet, but it looked like everyone was there. They seemed just as dazed, confused and maybe even awestruck as she was.

As soon as the pressure was gone from him, Kol rolled onto his side. A relieved, but pained sigh passed through him and the grimace began to ease. Yes, he was an Original vampire ghost, but at the end of the day he was still a man and he most definitely felt _Miss Crane_ fall on top of him.

"You saved me," She realized, watching him push himself up to his hands and knees. He just gave her a vague nod while regaining his composure.

"Why?" She asked when he stood up. It was one thing for her to beg for her life in a moment of desperation, but she didn't understand why he actually helped. He didn't seem to care about the others. Why would he risk himself for her?

He just gave her a disbelieving look and avoided the question. "You have a queer way of showing gratitude, darling," He pointed out. First, a knee between the legs and then indignation in her voice? That wasn't the response he was expecting.

She just clamped her mouth shut and held back the next comment that came to mind, especially when he offered a hand out to help her up.

Taking his hand, she stood up and brushed her clothes off absently while looking around them. Many of the ghosts' eyes were still on them. They hung back from a distance, but the curiosity was evident.

"So you do know my name after all," He pointed out. She turned back to him to see that damn smirk of his, like if they hadn't just been on the verge of being dragged to hell.

_Miss Crane_ just nodded and mumbled, "I might have overheard it once or twice…" Truthfully, once he boasted about being the supposed sire of so many vampires on the Other Side, it made sense. Many of the ghosts that lingered near them were from his bloodline. It was almost like if they looked towards him as a leader, but were too afraid to approach him. It was through their whisperings that she overhead his name.

"No offense, Kol," She addressed him directly, choosing to think about a solution rather than let her mind dwell on what just happened. If she did think about it, she would fall apart. "But I don't think we can afford to sit around and wait for your friend to come back," She used the term friend sarcastically and hoped her voice didn't shake too much with her own fear.

"Agreed," Kol clipped out shortly, tearing his eyes away from the raking of her body. She looked disheveled, almost as much as the day he found her. The only difference was the lack of burns, but it was different this time. He didn't feel her body pressed up against his then like he had now.

"And I know you said your siblings wouldn't be much help," She continued talking, remembering a vague comment about New Orleans and werebabies. "But there's got to be someone who can help," She threw her hands up in the air and they smacked against her thighs as they fell.

Kol paused when silence permeated and he realized she was waiting for a response. "I know that, but being locked in a coffin for the past century has made it a little hard to keep my contacts list up to date," He reminded sharply.

"But there's got to be someone," She pressed on further, even when he started to walk away from her.

He shot an aggravated glare at her persistence. It wasn't that he was angry with her, because she didn't create any problems for him. She just constantly reminded him the problems and forced him to deal with it.

"What other choice do we have, Kol?" She continued when she got no response from him. "What are you doing to do? Just sit here and wait for it to come back?" Her voice shook, panicking just thinking about it.

He let out a sigh and held a hand up abruptly at the last question.

She nearly balked at the rude gesture, but saw him close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose, clearly thinking. She wrapped her arms around herself while she waited.

"Have you been to Chicago?" He blurted out suddenly.

"What?" She shook her head, not understanding what that had to do with anything. "I have a few friends from the 'burbs…"

"Great!" He snipped out with an unnatural cheer in his voice. Even though he wasn't sure what she meant by that, it sounded like a yes to him. "We should get going then," He declared, moving to grab her by the forearm and leading the way.

"Whoa, wait," She balked, yanking her arm out of his grip. Briefly she wondered in the back of her mind if he was always such a grabby prick. "What do you mean _we_?" She protested, she had been speaking hypothetically about him doing something to stop this.

Kol stopped and spoke in a tone mockingly obvious, "I mean _you_." He pointed to her with his words and then himself, "And _I_… are going to," He then threw a thumb over his shoulder, "Chicago."

_Miss Crane_ clenched her teeth and glared at him harshly for the condescending tone.

"And what's in Chicago?" She asked more specifically, resisting the impulse to claw the smug look off his face.

"A witch," Kol replied rather honestly. "And I need someone who's been to Chicago this century to help me find her."


	5. Torn Stockings

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Thank you, Kellyxo! What is everyone's thoughts on what Kol should first do if he gets back to the land of the living?**

* * *

"_**Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?" – Miss Crane**_

* * *

_[One Republic – Stop and Stare]_

* * *

"My, my," Kol's voice drawled out tauntingly through the bar. "I had a hunch I would find you here, but I must say I'm surprised to see you on this side of the veil."

The Original sauntered into the establishment with his Atlantic breeze following meekly behind him. Once they finally found the place, she grew rather quiet and he took the lead. The aged woman of ebony skin looked up at their arrival with something born between surprise and bemusement.

She raised an eyebrow briefly at his companion before settling upon Kol. "Oh, I'm sure no more surprising than it was to see most of Chicago's vampires drop dead overnight," The witch pointed out, she had wondered when she would eventually cross paths with him again.

The amusement flickered off his face. He gave a tight eyed smirk. "Yes, let's just say a hunter got lucky," He excused vaguely.

A snort sounded behind him.

Kol looked over his shoulder and shot a rueful glare at Miss Crane, who was trying to hide her smile behind her hand. Maybe he shouldn't have told her the true story on the way here, he thought.

Seeing both pairs of eyes on her, she sobered up her expression. "Sorry, I'm just going…" Her voice trailed and threw a thumb over her shoulder. Just going to be anywhere, but immediately standing next to Kol, she decided. She backed away and pretended to give them space while eying up the décor and memorabilia.

Kol nodded, his eyes lingering after her.

"How did you know it was me?" The witch asked of him seriously this time.

He casually shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to their conversation. With a lazy smirk, he said, "While some things have changed over the years, those darling eyes of yours have not." It was a shameless, empty flirt, but also true. Those eyes were still worn by the fierce and ambitious twelve year old girl he remembered, but now they belonged to the aged woman with short curly grey hair.

The same eyes that were giving me a withering glare.

"Besides," Kol nodded up above her. "The sign above the bar – not so subtle." The large pink neon lights that read _Gloria's_ left little doubt to the identity of the witch that still lingered around the establishment.

Gloria cracked a smile at that. She also noticed the way Kol's eyes frequently darted to the corner, glancing towards his companion.

She was quiet and didn't say much. She silently moved about the room, taking in the décor that had accumulated over the years, mostly from the twenties.

"How did you end up here?" Kol asked. It certainly didn't look like she passed of old age.

"Katherine Pierce," Gloria heaved a flat sigh.

Kol's eyebrows flickered up briefly in understanding. He couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt. At least she had a more respectful death than his.

"What brings you here, Kol?" Gloria got straight to business. "You don't bring the charm around for nothing." As much as he was enjoyable to look at, he was not a vain creature.

"The Other Side," Kol declared. "There's something wrong with it."

"No kidding," Gloria agreed quickly. It was obvious enough in the fact they were able to converse at all, but that wasn't just it. "It's more torn up than your friend's stockings," She nodded towards the brunette.

_Miss Crane_ stopped her admiration of the records on the wall to turn back to the witch and Original. She frowned in embarrassment and looked down at her legs. She had forgotten how torn up they got from being nearly dragged to hell.

Kol's eyes went to her knees. He didn't look entirely amused by the insult. "What do you mean?" He asked sharply of Gloria, knowing she wouldn't make meaningless comments.

"I mean, there are literally tears and weak points," Gloria explained frankly. "It's only a matter of time before it all falls apart. Some other witches and I have been trying to figure out why…"

"Well that much I can tell you," Kol offered, leaning his elbows against the counter of the bar.

The witch cocked her head with keen interest at him. _Miss Crane_ turned her back to the pair and went back to her admiring.

"For centuries the Anchor was immortal and kept safe by the Travelers, but recently that has changed drastically with little regard to the consequences," Kol replied with ill-disguised disgust in his voice. So much had been destroyed because of the selfish whims of children hailed as Mystic Falls' saviors. "The stability of the Other Side is compromised."

"Do you think there is any chance it could re-stabilize or find a balance before it falls apart?" Gloria wondered, afraid of the truth.

"I rather doubt it," Kol voiced the thought that had been on many minds. He was grim and a realist in this situation, the odds were getting stacked increasingly against them with each moment that went by.

"What about these weak spots?" Kol tried to stay focused, not knowing exactly what she meant.

"The ones I've heard of were in Haiti and South Africa, some witches have been able to cross back over by taking advantage in the weakness of the veil," Gloria responded somberly.

"They were able to come back to life?" Kol couldn't hide the way his voice raised with his hope. He stood up a little straighter.

But Gloria didn't share his excitement, there was something formidable in the way she looked at him. "Yes, but there were _consequences_ for coming back in the way they did, Kol…" She warned.

Kol frowned and blinked, staring at her thoughtfully for several moments.

"Consequences," He repeated, thinking over her meaning. "You mean consequences so grave that you rather stay here in Chicago than risk it?" It didn't sound like her. She was like him, she would take the first chance to come back to life.

Gloria nodded, and said dryly, "Call me an optimist, but I'd rather stay here with my sisters and hold out for a better option."

Kol smirked faintly, but it was halfhearted while he thought it over. He couldn't help but glance towards _Miss Crane_ again, who was unknowingly thumbing the corner of a picture of Klaus and Stefan on the wall. He wondered what she thought of it, if she knew they were.

"What sort of better option would you need?" Kol thought aloud.

"A hold in the living world, of course," Gloria replied. The witches in Haiti and South Africa had a weak connection at best, which was why the consequences were so great. "Which is precisely the problem for you and I." The way back was something they didn't have. "If I had a hold, I could do the rest."

Kol nodded. He believed her, that's why he came to her. Not only was it one of the few witches he was hoping would still be around, but because he knew she would be strong. She had more experience than the adolescent witch in Mystic Falls did, so called prodigy or not.

Kol was silent several minutes while he thought it over. Gloria absently wiped down the counter of the bar with a cloth didn't actually affect the material world. It was hard to kick the habit of looking after this place, even after her death.

When she noticed him once again stealing a glance towards the young woman, she finally had to ask. "So who's the girl?" Gloria asked aloud, either not realizing that _Miss Crane_ could hear or just didn't care.

_Miss Crane_ stopped with her back to them in the corner of the room, where some of the old brass instruments had been mounted on display.

"Ah, her," Kol picked his shoulders up, turning towards her. He had that smug tone in his voice. "She's…" He actually didn't know what to call her. Friends? No, he didn't have too many of those and they traded many spiteful and vicious words for friends. But yet, she still hung around him and he talked around her entirely too much. He said too much about himself. He did noticed that she clammed up around other people. "

"An acquaintance," He settled for conservatively. The rest he could decide upon later. He couldn't help but tease though, "Who actually has yet to tell me her name…"

_Miss Crane_ finally looked at him with a coy, but knowing smile on her lips. "Nice try," She denied him the leading response.

Kol just responded with his own grin.

Gloria was left watching the two with confusion. Clearly, she wasn't in on the joke with these two. She thought it odd that Kol was taking some sort of shine to this girl.

"What if I said I know of a Bennett witch?" Kol said abruptly, going back to their conversation.

Gloria shrugged, "That may or may not be helpful. They're powerful, but the most self-righteous of the bunch."

Kol nodded, he didn't need to be told twice about that. He still had a certain basement conversation quite vivid in his mind. "Yes, but this one also happens to be the Anchor to the Other Side."

Gloria's expression perked up quite visibly for the first time. "The Anchor?" She questioned and Kol nodded.

"Would that be a strong enough hold for you?" He smirked.

"Certainly," Gloria said quickly, visibly excited. "But can we get to it?" She would need direct contact.

At that, Kol hesitated and Gloria resisted the urge to sigh. Of course, there was a catch. "Well, I cannot reach her, she or maybe the Travelers are blocking me," He excused. Damn, Travelers, he was already sick of their meddling.

Gloria let out a faint groan. "If they're blocking you, then they'll be immediately suspicious of anyone who could be a threat. It's a fifty-fifty chance whether or not I could get close to her," She rationalized. Of course things wouldn't be that simple.

Kol didn't seem was worried as her though. Instead, he had an irritating grin on his face. "Unless we find someone who appears so helpless and lost, her bleeding heart naturally causes her to lower her guard," He suggested meaningfully before looking over to the corner of the room.

_Miss Crane_ wasn't doing anything to hide the way she was staring at them with a frown on her face. When Gloria followed Kol's gaze with the same glint in her eyes, she couldn't help the moan she let out.

"Oh, you mean me…" She realized with a whine.

Kol just gave her a toothy wicked smile. Gloria had her lips pursed together while she sized her up and down, weighing the option. She seemed convinced.

Kol had to admit, even when the first time he saw _Miss Crane_, something about her struck a cord in him. It wasn't just her wrecked physical appearance, but it would certainly add to the effect. If he could be drawn in by her, he was certain the Bennett witch would pander over her in no time.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" _Miss Crane_ protested at the way they were looking at her.


	6. Dingy Motels

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Note: I haven't been watching the show lately, so I only very briefly know what's going on so I'm sure there's errors, but whatever. I don't really care, this story is AU and mostly focused on Kol/Miss Crane, which won't involve much of the MFG.**

* * *

"_**It sure feels good to be alive." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Marcy Playground – Sex and Candy]_

* * *

Bonnie sighed. The weariness of the situation was starting to take its toll on her physical appearance. There were the faint bags under her eyes, but truthful be told, she wasn't sure what exactly it was from. It could be from the stress and threat of the Travelers, trying to keep up with what was going on with Elena, Stefan and Damon. Honestly, some days it changed so frequently and quickly, she couldn't keep up. It could be from the lack of sleep all of this was causing. It could also be from the excoriating pain that she was left to deal with alone every time a soul passed through her.

Maybe that was why she stopped and hesitated when she stepped outside her house.

The girl was standing alone on the sidewalk and she looked so painfully out of place. There was no car parked nearby that she could have arrived by. The tears in her black stockings stood out, almost as much as the dirt and what she guessed blood stains did on her clothing. She could see her face clearly behind the frizzy waves of dirty blonde highlights and the stained fingers covering her eyes. It was clear she was crying from the way her shoulders shook.

"Hello?" Bonnie called out, unsure whether or not to step off her porch. She definitely didn't feel comfortable approaching her.

Hearing the voice, the girl picked up her head. Bloodshot hazel eyes stared back. The mascara ran staining rivers down her cheeks.

"You can see me?" Her voice was small and pathetic. "Please help me," She begged.

Bonnie's stomach fell, realizing it was another lost spirit. She braced her shoulders and stepped off the porch towards her. "Yes, I can hear you. What happened to you?" She wondered, fearing the worst from her state.

"I don't know – I don't understand, what is happening to me? Why can't anyone see me?" Her voice was rushed with panic.

Bonnie frowned with sympathy. This wasn't the first confused spirit she had encountered. "It's because you died," She tried to explain softly, stepping closer. There was only a few feet between them.

"What? I died?" The girl's eyes were wide with disbelief. She wasn't sure she would consider herself an actress, but it was convincing enough for the young witch. Truthfully, she hadn't expected this supposed Anchor to be an average teenager who looked younger than she. But she came this far, she didn't have any other options.

"Yes," Bonnie nodded, taking another step forward. "Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"

"No," She shook her head, visibly struggling. "I mean, there was.. this man, and he, he bit me." Her voice hiccupped a bit from the sobs. "It hurt, it hurt so much, and the blood… then the car, and Tiffany, oh god, there was so much blood everywhere..."

Bonnie's expression broke with the more the girl spoke. Even though she couldn't understand most of it, she could feel the genuine terror and how lonely she must have been. She felt for her.

"And then the sun came up, oh god, it was so bright. But it hurt, so much, I don't know why, but it burned _so_, so much," The girl said, taking the last step closer to Bonnie. Her tear ridden eyes pleaded with her to make sense of everything.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Bonnie said sincerely. She didn't know anything about this girl, but it didn't seem fair. No one deserved to suffer like this. The girl bowed her head, causing Bonnie to lean a little closer, wanting to see her eyes. "But now you have to pass through," She tried not to cringe as she said, knowing what pain it would bring her.

The girl inhaled stiffly and grew still. The curtain of her bangs shielded the way her expression morphed. When she looked up again, her expression was deadpanned and her eyes cold. It was a chilling contrast to the tears gleaming off her cheeks. "No, I don't think I will," She disagreed with her in a flat voice.

"But I am sorry I have to do this to you," She said. The witch did actually seem like a nice girl.

"What?" Bonnie exclaimed. She was too distracted to notice the two figures stepping up behind the girl.

But it was already too late, the girl reached out and grabbed Bonnie by the wrists. As soon as she made contact, the Anchor let out a scream. She doubled over from the pain and her vision exploded, only barely catching a glimpse of Kol and Gloria before losing consciousness.

* * *

She didn't remember much of the ritual. There was a lot of chanting, some Latin, some candles. Honestly, it was all Gloria's doing and she didn't really understand enough of this supernatural business to follow it. All she knew was that she had a killer headache when she woke up.

She stirred with a groan, pulling her face out of the pillow. The slight damp spot on the casing told her she didn't sleep in the most dignified manner, but she didn't care. The room was dark, there was a glow coming from the window of street lights. She squinted and lifted her head.

For a brief moment, she thought she finally got her wish. She thought she was back in her apartment, but everything about this place felt wrong. She didn't sleep once on the Other Side, another curse of eternal isolation, never having any rest for the weary mind. But yet, this place she woke up was completely foreign. Everything was wrong, the bed, the covers, the air, and even the loud noise coming from the mini-fridge in the corner.

That was when she noticed it was a motel room. A pretty typical run of the mill room with one chair and desk in the corner. There was a TV stand across from the bed. The one king sized bed that she noticed she had unceremoniously passed out on top of the covers. Apparently someone decided to dump her there and only bothered to take her shoes off.

She startled and sat up quickly when she realized she wasn't alone in the bed. The other side was occupied by a shirtless man that only took her one glance to recognize. Unlike her, he had bothered to kick off his shoes and his shirt before passing out on top of the comforter. He had one arm slung over his face, but seeing his jawline and mouth gaping open was enough for her to realize it was Kol.

Her heart pounded against her chest. Her not so eloquent first thought was,_ "What the fuck is going on?" _Nonetheless, her eyes wandered over his torso, particularly noticing his physique, which was marred by faint pale scars at his shoulders. Her eyes followed his chest hair from his pectorals, down his abdomen and his stomach. Before it trailed off under his belt, she quickly stood up and out of the bed.

Like hell, she thought, she wasn't going to risk getting caught ogling him.

She shook out her hands, trying to get rid of the nerves while she paced around the room. It was definitely the quintessential dingy motel room. Of course, her mind panicked at the worst case scenario. She looked down at herself, she was still wearing the dreaded red dress from that night. She found her shoes at the end of the bed and surprisingly the black leather jacket draped over the desk chair.

Okay, so maybe the situation wasn't like _that_, she realized. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Obviously since she didn't remember anything, she passed out. So Kol must have gotten her out of there and brought her to the first place to lie low. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the bathroom, throwing the light on and leaving the door open.

She was going to go with that assumption, she thought, as she threw on the water faucet. Because to let her mind assume anything worse, she didn't think she could mentally handle it right now. She threw her hands under the jet of water, cupping it up before splashing it against her face.

That was when she realized she felt the temperature of the water. She felt the cold bite against her cheek, the alarming sensation as it touched her flesh. She could _feel_ the water.

While her body had instinctively known it the moment she woke up, it was the first time she gave it conscious thought. She noticed just how thick and humid the air was in the room from the limited air conditioning. She noticed the faint musty smell from the carpet as a result. More importantly, she realized she noticed all of these things because she was alive again.

"You've got to be shitting me, it worked…" She mumbled to herself, staring at her hands. She had heard Kol and Gloria talking about the possibility, but to this point, she just chalked them up to being half mad. The only reason she went along with their plan was because she had nothing else better to do other than sit around and wait for the darkness to take her.

She was alive, she could feel the headache of her heart beating in her skull. Her hands shook with the shivers and the hair stood up on her arms, giving her goose bumps. She was alive, but different, she knew. She felt the burning sensation in her throat and everything was much more sensitive than she remembered.

She looked up at herself in the mirror. Truthfully, she didn't look as bad as she thought she would. The aching in her throat didn't appear in her expression. The only thing tarnishing her complexion was the faint staining of old makeup. With a few splashes of water, she was able to wash it away. She looked refreshed, but she felt filthy. She wondered if everything Kol had said was true.

Her curiosity got the best of her, she spent the next few moments with her mouth wide open in the mirror. She pulled her gums back and examined her teeth. The more she bared them, the more she noticed her canines. They were abnormally elongated and sharp, she definitely didn't remember them being that.

"Admiring your fangs, sweetheart?" A voice next to her smirked with amusement.

An undignified swear passed her lips as she jumped, turning to the Original leaning casually in the doorway of the bathroom. She swallowed quickly at his presence, choosing to keep her mouth shut rather than voice her first thoughts. She did decide the small space of the bathroom wasn't nearly enough between her and him.

He just cocked his head at her with amusement. He didn't seem bothered by the situation they woke up. He didn't even bother to put his shirt on before encroaching on the woman's bathroom explorations. It was perhaps because of that reason it made her even more nervous of them. He knew that she was nervous because she wasn't sure where to look.

"Come now, let's have a look," He taunted, taking a step closer to her. He backed her up against the wall, but her reaction didn't deter him from reaching out to her jaw – like he had before.

"Look at me," He ordered when she fought against him, her eyes squeezing shut. He forced her chin back to him.

She reluctantly followed the order, because she could hear the malice in those words. His eyes were dark in the ambient light of the late hour bathroom. Those eyes pierced her as he studied her. His thumb pushed up her lips to her gum, like she had done to herself a moment ago. The action was uncomfortable and she couldn't help the hiss she let out, almost like a feline. The discomfort caused the fangs to expose themselves even more.

"Still a vampire I see," He smirked, but with fascination. He was too and he figured it was one of the consequences of not being allowed to cross back over as humans. Honestly, he was okay with that, but considered her rather innocent and was surprised the spirits would do this.

"So young," He murmured with thought. "And inexperienced." He held her by the jaw and realized he had in his hands a vampire that had never experienced anything other than her first sunrise. She had never hunted, never fed, never… His eyes trailed down to her lips as that line of thought continued.

Her heart hammered, trying to understand the look in his eyes. She didn't get a chance to move when his fingers loosened on her jaw. Instead, she was surprised by his mouth sweeping over hers. She let out a loud gasp against his mouth, feeling the bruising force. Her hands rose up to push him away, but stopped when he eased back.

It was like he sensed he was too rough. Instead of pulling back completely, his lips remained near hers. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. He kissed her again, this time much more gently and slowly. He took her lower lip between his, caressing and sucking on it gently before moving to her upper lip.

She didn't kissed him back, but she didn't push him away. She was terribly confused by it, because the kiss was much more intimate and tender than the ones she was used to. She was used to sloppy, hurried movements of horny frat boys just pawing at clothing.

As quickly as it came and before she could understand it, he pulled away. He smirked down at her wide eyes and swollen lips. "It sure feels good to be alive," He stated triumphantly. He let go of her jaw abruptly and backed away from her, stepping into the bedroom area.

She didn't move, trying to wrap her head around the different mood swings of Kol Mikaelson.

"Come now, darling," He called out to her while grabbing his shirt from off the floor, as if nothing happened. "We need to hunt before Gloria returns."


	7. Feeding Habits

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Please spare a few moments to leave some feedback, it would really make my day.**

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"_**I will feed on no one's terms but my own." – Miss Crane**_

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_[Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know]_

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She knew following him probably wasn't the best idea, especially since she was worried about what he meant by hunting. Even with that, she still grabbed her jacket and her shoes and hurried after him when he left the motel room. She told herself it was better than staying back in the hotel room. If she stayed behind, then all she would just sit and overanalyze everything. If she stopped for even a moment, the gravity would come crashing in on her like a wave.

She thought she could handle the hunt better than that.

But she was wrong, she wasn't expecting Kol to stop a woman on the way home from work. It looked like they were still in a small town, not Mystic Falls, but one nearby likely. Not too far from the local hospital, he stopped a stranger. She didn't understand why the woman just stood there when he told her to, especially when he bit down into her neck.

It caused _Miss Crane_ to jump at the sudden brutality. He didn't feed from her long, he bit down just enough to get the blood flowing down her neck and onto her scrubs.

"Come, darling," He called out to her, beckoning a few fingers forward with red on his lips. "It's your turn."

He was peck-ish, to say the least, after coming back from the dead. He felt weak from the whole ordeal. He could rip through half the town, if he wanted to, but he wanted to make sure the newborn was under control first. He trusted his self-control more than hers.

"No," She shook her head immediately. There was no way she was going to bite that woman, no matter how much her throat burned and her gums ached.

"That wasn't a question," Kol replied, dropping the smirk.

"No," Miss Crane repeated more forcefully. "I'm not going to hurt her," She didn't care what she was. That didn't justify this.

Kol let out a faint growl and his eyes rolled to the top of his head. "Stubborn and moralistic," He muttered before turning to the stranger. "Stay," He ordered. She just nodded numbly and he let go of her.

He stalked towards _Miss Crane_. She took a step back from him, but he reached out and grabbed her by the upper arm.

"Don't be foolish," He reprimanded her. "You need to feed before we see Gloria. Believe me, witches don't take too kindly to vampires trying to take a bite out of them."

"I don't care," _Miss Crane_ protested, she tried to pull her arm away, but Kol wouldn't let her go. "I'm not going to hurt her just because Gloria might not like it."

"It's all a part of the circle of life, darling," Kol snapped out, getting more and more aggravated.

Miss Crane gave him an appalled look and continued to shake her head.

"You're a vampire – the predator," He explained coldly, she turned her head away from him. "That makes humans the prey." He leant into her ear, hissing, "Give into the nature of what you are now."

She shook her head slightly, still stubborn. "No," She denied, "You can't make me do this."

That was the wrong thing to say, she later realized.

A wicked grin flashed momentarily across Kol's face. "Actually I can," He whispered. His other hand went up to her jaw, forcing his grip. "Look at me," He demanded, forcing her head back towards him.

Reflex won over reason and her gaze met his.

"You're going to feed from this woman and you're going to keep feeding until you're not longer thirsty," She didn't understand the tone of his voice or the odd flicker of his eyes. "Understood?"

But against her will, she managed a short nod. He released her from that point and stepped aside. It was like her mind had gone numb from everything around her. She barely processed the fact her feet moved until she was standing right before the nurse. She barely saw the dull hint of fear in the young woman's eyes before her vision was consumed by flesh.

She sank her teeth in and the most vivid sensation was the first taste of blood. It was warm and soothing on her throat, the more she gulped, the more it appeased that burning sensation that had been plaguing her since she awoke. The moan escaped from her mouth and blood dribbled down the corners before she could help it.

Her hands clutched to the shoulders of the woman, to keep her upright, but she felt another pair of hands on her hips. She didn't pay any attention to the warm body that stepped up behind her. The monster inside didn't care, as long as they didn't interrupt her. She felt some blood splash up on her nose even as one hand slipped under the hem of her dress, pulling her hips back against a hard body.

Behind her, she didn't see the way Kol picked up one hand of the nurse. He watched _Miss Crane_ feed on the woman's neck while he bit down into her wrist. His other hand held her by the apex of her thighs before drawing slow circles against her sex. He smirked at the loud moan and bucking of her hips that he felt.

_Miss Crane_ dug her teeth harder into the woman's neck as the sensations. She knew that Kol told her to be quiet, but she didn't think she would stay silent through all of this.

Moment trickled by, each tantalizing moment that _Miss Crane_ quenched her thirst. Her body thrived and hummed, shivering from the euphoria of sensations and tastes on her skin.

The woman was already dead and limp when she pulled her lips away with a gasp.

Kol let her go a moment before, stepping back and wiping the corner of his mouth with a smirk. He watched the nurse's body drop to the ground while _Miss Crane_ gasped for clarity. The compulsion left her and she was faced with reality.

Her hands shook visibly, even though her feet remained frozen to their spot.

She was flustered, but sated. Satisfied, but craving more. She didn't know what she wanted more of, blood or the way her body felt during all of that. But instead, the evidence of what she did laid with lifeless eyes before her.

"Oh my god," She finally voiced with horror. "Oh my god, what have I done? What have I done?"

She turned around to Kol. He saw the horror and disgust on her expression, even through the blood smeared around her mouth and down her throat. It still made her so human, even if she wore the face of a monster.

"She's dead, dead… I killed her, oh my god," She repeated, unable to truly believe it. Her voice cracked and he could see her eyes starting to water. "She's dead… I killed her. She had a family. I don't even know who she was," She began to hyperventilate as she thought about it.

She had just taken a life, just like the life she had that had been taken away from her.

"She was a sister, a mother, a wife, a lover…" She didn't know which, but it didn't matter. "And I killed her," Her voice rose to a panic.

"Oh, come on, darling," Kol piped up then, mostly because of the amount of noise she was starting to make. There was no need to make a scene of it. He took a step closer to her.

"No!" She yelled, almost as if she just remembered he was there. She looked at him clearly with disdain. "This is your fault! I killed her, but this your doing it… It was because of you!"

She didn't understand how he made her do it, but she just knew it was because of him.

"Enough of this nonsense," He snapped out. "Stop it," He reached towards her.

"No! No!" She fought against him, especially when he was grabbing at her arms. The tears clouded her vision. It didn't stop him though. She couldn't tell if he was trying to comfort her or control her.

Either way, she got a few shoves in against his chest. It didn't budge him, but he gritted his teeth and fought harder to stop her tantrum. Vainly, her fists pounded against him and he just let her, holding her at an arm's distance, but also keeping her from bolting. When her energy ran out, she crumpled and clutched her hands to her face.

He then pulled her against his chest. He felt and heard the heaving sobs from her. He gave a sigh and patted her shoulder a few times. "There, there," He cooed in a tone that lacked affection.

Her fingers grasped at the fabric of his jacket while he let her cry it out. Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was hours, but it felt like an excruciatingly uncomfortable eternity for him to be listening to the girl's sobbing. "Alright now," He sighed out, reaching a hand up to the back of her head. He stroked her hair gently. "The first couple are the hardest, but it gets better –"

His own words were cut off by a loud grunt. Kol clenched his eyes shut and doubled forward. He hadn't been expecting the knee that came up with driving force. He barely got a chance to process that and the sheer radiating pain before he felt her teeth sink into his neck, fangs bared and all.

He wasn't sure what pained him more, the cheap shot to the groin or feeling her teeth tear into his neck. His pride told him the first impact was the worst. Either way, it was enough to stun him for the few seconds that she ripped into him. She gulped down two mouthfuls of his blood instinctively before removing her teeth just as roughly.

With that movement, she gave him a shove and he stumbled back from her, falling on his rear. If he hadn't been weakened from the ritual and distracted by everything else, normally he wouldn't have been so caught off guard. He fell back with a panting grunt and looked up to see _Miss Crane _glaring at him from behind black veined eyes.

She loomed over him and pointed a finger. "Don't you ever make me do that again," She hissed warningly. His hand went to his neck, feeling the blood. A morbid part of him had to admit she was quite the vision to take in at the moment. "I feed on no one's terms but my own," She then sneered his own word back at him. "_Understood_?"

His mouth hung open and he just gave a faint nod.

She sent him one last spiteful glare, before turning and stomping off, her heels clicking against the pavement.

With grunt and recovering from the passing pain, Kol pushed himself back up to his feet. He pulled his hand from his neck and frowned at the blood staining his flesh. His hand dabbed at his neck a few more times, despite the stinging pain it caused.

Damn, he thought, he had really underestimated this one.


	8. French Braids

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Thank you, songtoyou and ShiloCoulter! It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Here's a short drabble on the aftermath of last chapter before I carry on with the plot. (And probably one of my favorite Creepy Kol moments)**

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"_**Your ferocity is admirable." – Kol Mikaelson**_

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_[Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day]_

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Going back to the motel was probably the worst decision she could make after attacking Kol, but after wandering around in the darkness she realized she had nowhere else to go. The sun would rise in a couple of hours and she sure as hell wouldn't risk getting caught in it again. She could go to someone else for help, but what would she do? Show up at the police station with no form of identification and claim to be a girl that had been officially declared dead months ago?

As much as she hated to admit it, the only one that had a chance of giving her some guidance was the one she just bit the neck of.

She went back to the motel room, knowing when he came back it wouldn't be good. She got in the shower first thing, stripping out of her death dress. She scrubbed at her skin and scratched to get all of the blood off of her. No matter how much she scrubbed, it didn't seem to matter. She still felt filthy. Even when she scratched her skin to the point it was red and angry, to the point she bled herself, her flesh healed over before she could fully appreciate the sting and pain of what she had done. It didn't seem fair.

When she got out of the shower, she begrudgingly put the red dress back on. It wasn't like she had any other clothing and she definitely wasn't going to go without. Even though it was uncomfortable and she would have preferred clean undergarments, she went with just the red dress, ditching the stockings for now. The pleated skirt flowed away from her body, but the empire waist accentuated her small frame. Standing in the bathroom, she opened the door to let the steam air out.

She spent the next time drying her hair with the hand towel and then combing her fingers through her hair slowly. She didn't have a hairbrush lying around anywhere and she was only managed to dig up a hair tie from the depths of her jacket pocket. Even though it was long and tedious, she took her time untangling her hair slowly. It gave her hands something to do while she got lost in her thoughts.

What was she thinking when she went hunting with him? She wasn't sure what was worse about it, killing that woman, becoming that monster or letting Kol put his hands on her. The last one she had barely given a second thought to, it had felt so natural. But nothing about this was actually natural and it upset her greatly. What she had become wasn't natural. This wasn't okay.

The door to motel room opened.

_Miss Crane_ tensed immediately. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kol step into the room. He hesitated when he spotted her figure in the glow of the bathroom light. But then he didn't say anything and she found the silence more unnerving than yelling. She kept her direct gaze on herself in the mirror while he moved about the room.

She heard him drop his copy of the key on the counter before shedding his jacket. She stared at her own reflection. Her face looked more youthful and the complexion was much healthier than before. She wondered if that was a side effect of becoming a vampire or coming back from the dead.

Minutes ticked by and so did the silence.

She realized she was barely breathing when he suddenly stepped into her reflection. The fingers that were threaded into her locks were stopped by his clasping over them. This time she could feel his warmth in his hand. She froze, her eyes finally met his in the mirror. She couldn't read them for her life. They were hard and his lips pressed into a thin line. The tension in his jaw was obvious.

He gave a curt nod and she dropped her hands from her hair. She placed them against the sides of the sink. He gathered her damp hair in his hands. She felt the lump in her throat, her heart hammering.

This was it, her mind told her. She knew she was in trouble for that stunt she pulled earlier. The only question was, what would he do? She heard him through away casual comments about snapping necks, which she assumed so some weird favorite pastime for vampires. Maybe he would just rip her heart out, she thought.

She inhaled sharply when she felt the tug on her hair. But looking in the mirror, she just saw him with different locks between his fingers, starting at her crown.

Her grip tightened on the sink with each tug, just waiting for it to be the last one she ever felt. His expression didn't change as he focused on the back of her head. She kept her teeth clenched together tightly. She could sense just how closely he was standing behind her, occasionally she felt the last lingering warmth of his breath fall upon her exposed shoulders.

Over the center, down, from the outside to the inside.

It wasn't until the third time he repeated the motions did she realize what he was doing. The fact he kept her hair taunt against her scalp, made it neat, precise, and all the more terrifying. He had seen his sister do this to her hair a thousand times and more over the centuries.

For _Miss Crane_, it was the most nerve wrecking French braid anyone had ever given her. She was just waiting for those fingers to give her hair a yank and then crack her bones before she knew it. She nearly jumped when he stopped and held an open palm expectedly over her shoulder.

From the corner of her eyes, not daring move her head, she stared down at the open hand at first. It took her a delayed moment to realize he was expecting the hair tie. She removed a hand from her vice grip on the sink to pass it to him. There were fractures in the porcelain left behind.

"Your ferocity it admirable, sweetheart," His voice was low, almost a growl, and grating on her tender nerves. His fingers looped the banded around the last strands of her hair before he curled the final braid around his knuckles. "But know this…"

His hand gave a jerk, causing Miss Crane to hiss with discomfort. Her neck strained backwards and the tendons protruded along her throat. He leant his lips down to her ear and watched her reaction in the reflection. While she was largely composed, her fear and emotions showed through her eyes.

"If you ever feed from me like that again," He whispered darkly and seriously into her ear. "I _will kill you_." He watched her try to swallow and he heard a faint cracking noise coming from the sink. "Understood?" He sneered.

_Miss Crane_ managed a nod, or a shiver, he wasn't sure which, but it was enough.

"Good," He decided and let his knuckles go from her hair.

A series of short knocks sounded at the door.

Kol glanced briefly to it before looking back to _Miss Crane_. She had her head leveled and she was biting her lip so hard he could smell the blood. He just flashed her a lethal smirk before stepping out of the bathroom and going to answer the door.


	9. Free To Go

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! I don't think I've ever waited so long in a fic to reveal a character's name.**

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"_**I just want to find somewhere I belong." – Charlotte Davidson**_

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_[Boyce Avenue – Fast Car]_

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Kol opened the motel door, revealing Gloria. She was dressed in different clothes than earlier and he stepped aside her easily enough. The elderly witch gave a glance to the girl in the red dress, she was sitting on the edge of the sole bed with one leg tucked underneath her.

"Gloria," Kol greeted with unnatural cheer in his face.

"Hello, Kol," She just gave him a lazy smirk in response. She had an oversized shoulder bag on her arm. While Kol closed the door behind her, she looked towards the young woman. "How are you doing?"

The girl seemed surprised, startling out of her own thoughts, before looking up. Gloria didn't see the warning glare Kol gave behind her back.

"I'm… adjusting," Miss Crane responded vaguely, but truthfully. How was she supposed to be coping with all of this? If there was a manual, she'd love to see it.

Gloria nodded and turned back to Kol swiftly, reminding the young woman how superficial the actual question was.

"Alright, first order of business," Gloria cleared her throat and opened up her bag. The first thing she pulled out was a yellow mail envelope. "As requested," She held it out to Kol, the bubble wrap lining crinkling a little beneath her fingertips. "Although, I'm not sure why you needed it in the first place…" Her eyes flickered down to his hand as he took it.

"That's because it's not for me," Kol hummed out absently while he took a peek inside the envelope. When he was satisfied with what he found, he stepped forward to _Miss Crane_ and held it out for her.

The girl's brow furrowed in confusion at first. Gradually, she took the envelope from Kol and he just kept that smug look on his face from her reaction. It was light, almost empty. She dumped the contents of it out into her palm. "What is it?" She rolled the silver ring around in her palm. It was very plain and small, but had one blue stone set in an oval shape.

"A daylight ring," He then went on to explain further when he received nothing but a blank look from her. "It'll allow you to walk in the sun without harm… Consider it a symbol of appreciation for your cooperation."

"Appreciation for my cooperation?" _Miss Crane_ repeated in disbelief, she couldn't fathom his impersonal tone of voice.

Kol just gave a shrug of his shoulders, speaking as if it was all business. "You kept up your end of the agreement and helped me get back from the Other Side. You're free to go now."

And just like that, he turned his back on her to continue speaking to Gloria.

But it felt like more than that to _Miss Crane_, she didn't really know why her stomach dropped. She felt like she had just been through a surreal experience of a lifetime. She didn't understand him. He had confided in her on the Other Side, brought her back to life, and even though it wasn't all pleasant, it was still something. The hunt was nightmarish and the kiss was thrilling, but confusing. All of this had to mean something, right? After all that, all she had was this ring in her palm. She felt like she had been through an amusement park and had nothing to show but a plastic toy from a twenty-five cent vending machine.

Gloria only gave a discreet glance to the young lady's fallen expression before diving into her bag. She pulled out a bundle of papers, one navy book with glimmering gold lettering on the front. "I went to your old place, like you said, here's the papers I found," She explained.

Kol took them and paused a moment to open to the second page of the passport on top. He nodded, taking a glance at the false information. "Those are the ones," He confirmed, the last identifications he had been using.

Gloria was already digging into her bag for the next item. She pulled out a cell phone. From the distance, Miss Crane could tell it was an up to date smartphone. "Cell phone, prepaid of course," She handed that over to Kol next after he tucked the papers into his inside jacket pocket. "I loaded some phone numbers in there already."

"How forward of you," Kol teased while his fingers flashed over the buttons, confirming what she said. He didn't care too much for the reminder that his old phone got fried in the fire.

She just shot him a brief glare. "I made a few other phone calls, checking into some of the locations you suggested – two of them came up," She ignored his comment and unfolded two sheets of paper from her bag.

With renewed interest, Kol pocketed the phone and examined her findings. Immediately, his lip curled up in annoyance and a little bit of disgust at the New Orleans address. He moved onto the next one. "New York City?" He questioned.

Gloria nodded, "I just got a call back thirty minutes ago confirming one resident there."

"Huh," Kol hummed out. He was surprised at first, but the more he thought about it, he really didn't expect anything less. "Sounds like I'll be paying my dear sister," He sneered the endearment, "A visit in New York City."

Gloria chuckled, not at his malice, but for another reason. "I had a feeling you would say that, so I picked you up these too," She produced the last object, a pair of car keys. "A rental, of course."

Kol's eyes lit up immediately at the shiny metal. It caused Gloria to smirk, he still had the maturity of a teenager at times, even after a thousand years. He automatically reached forward to grab them. She pulled them back briefly and pointed a warning finger at him, "Drive carefully."

"Gloria," Kol scoffed, taunting her before she finally let him grab the keys. "When did you become so maternal?" It had been decades, but to him, it only felt like months ago when he remembered her barely becoming a woman.

"Since I had six grandbabies running around my home," She quipped slyly.

"_Six_?" Kol gasped, mouthing the word in a way that she couldn't tell was supposed to be mocking or not.

She just shook her head at him. "I'll call you when I reach Chicago," She bided farewell. She gave one more nod to the young woman, who was still numbly holding the ring with mixed feelings.

Gloria closed the door behind her. The room was silent at first, except for Kol tossing the keys lightly in the air. He was grinning, smug with how things were working out so far. He rolled the keys over in his fingers, the Ford symbol evident on the black plastic. He slipped them into his pocket and pulled out the phone again, fascinated by the new technology in this century. It was already starting to get light out with dawn.

"You're going to New York City?" _Miss Crane_ finally broke the silence.

Kol looked up and gave a solemn nod.

She had thought about where she wanted to go. The idea of being free seemed so foreign after everything. But truthfully, she had no idea where to go. She didn't have any desire to return to Mystic Falls. She could go back to Richmond, but she didn't even know where to begin there. How could she just show up after being dead to her friends and family? Maybe someday she could, but right now she wasn't mentally prepared to handle that.

"Can I go with you?" She blurted out.

"What?" Kol's head snapped up sharply. "To New York City?"

_Miss Crane_ just swallowed thickly at his stunned expression and nodded.

His brow furrowed trying to understand her. Sure, he had gotten Gloria to agree to bring her back, as part of helping, but he didn't get it. Since then, he had literally made her kill someone and threatened to kill her himself. Now she wanted to stick with him?

_Miss Crane_ almost expected some sort of snarky or mocking comment. But instead, he approached the bed slowly. The mattress gave weight when he sat down, his thigh bumping against her knee. She started to feel the heat rising to her face at the way he was studying her so closely.

"Why?" He asked seriously.

Looking at him then reminded her of the time on the Other Side, when she didn't feel the need to hide anything. She had been more honest in death than in life. "Because I just want to find somewhere I belong," She said quietly. "And I feel like I would be able to with you." As soon as she said it, she felt self-conscious about it and bit her lip.

Kol didn't say anything though. He didn't laugh at her or sneer down at her. Instead, his gaze faltered away from her while he mulled it over for several moments.

"Alright," He said finally and reached forward to her hands. He took the ring from her palm. Despite her nerves, she kept her hands relaxed while he turned her palm down. His hands were warm against hers, it was comforting. She watched him slide the daylight ring on her right hand, feeling the cool metal.

"I have one requirement first," He stated, drawing _Miss Crane's_ eyes back to his amber ones. "Your name," He demanded with a faint ghost of a grin at the corner of his mouth.

_Miss Crane_ sighed as he sat there holding her hand gently. She couldn't fool anyone into believing he was just a voice and a face anymore.

"Charlotte," She revealed reluctantly with a thick rose hue on her cheeks. "Charlotte Davidson."

Kol flashed a white toothed grin. He picked her hand up from her lap, now adorned with the daylight ring. "Kol Mikaelson," He formally introduced himself before bringing her knuckles against his lips.

Charlotte wondered what she had gotten herself into as he kissed her skin tenderly with the hint of wickedness in his eyes.


	10. Satisfaction

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it so much. I think this chapter makes the morning deadline. ;) Although, I am in Siberia, so chances are your morning is actually my evening. I do intend to make this story more mature than my other stories, so good things will come in time. Mary VA, thank you so much! I really truly appreciate that, it touches my heart to hear that. Shilo, it's an interesting suggestion, but it wouldn't make for much of a story if she left him from the beginning.**

* * *

"_**There's nothing I can't make you do, don't you forget that." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Rolling Stones - Satisfication]_

* * *

It didn't take but a few minutes to get ready and leave the motel behind. Kol decided to make a few stops along the way to New York City. They drove for the first couple of hours of the morning, partly because it was too early for anything to be open. Somewhere outside of Baltimore, Kol stopped the car at a small strip mall.

That was how Charlotte ending up picking through the racks for anything she wanted in a Macy's. They were early enough to catch just the assistant store manager getting ready before the rest of the employees showed up and well before opening. Kol compelled the woman to let them take what they wanted.

An hour ensued of both her and Kol picking out various outfits. Some of them they compared with each other and she had to help him modern fashion. It was amusing and strange. Dare she say it, she actually had a bit of fun with it.

At least, until Kol got pushy. It didn't surprise him that he found a few special selections that he wanted her to try on. It didn't surprise her that he didn't take it too well when she said no. He didn't seem like the type that was used to hearing that.

"Absolutely not," Charlotte put her foot down with her arms folded over her chest.

Kol hung the dress up in the air with a mock pout. "Why not? I'm sure it would look stunning on you," He replied.

"I would look like an LA hooker, Kol," Charlotte snapped out. The dress was short to say the least, she was sure it would barely cover her rear and an entirely too much would hang out the top. She didn't even want to get started on the hot pink color.

He didn't get the slang term, but he was losing his patience. "Charlotte," He lowered his voice and took a step closer to her.

"No," She remained stubborn.

"Fine," He snapped out and she thought he was going to leave it alone. But instead, his hand shot out to her jaw. Instinctively, she fought away from it, but he had more strength.

"Look at me," He demanded and she realized when she heard those three words, she was in trouble. He leant forward to her and she noticed his eyes weren't that soft amber shade.

"You're going to go into that dress room, put on this dress and model it for me," He ordered, doing that thing with his eyes. Charlotte gritted her teeth together while he held her jaw, she just gave him a curt nod against her will.

He released her and even when she found herself thinking how to get out of it, she was already moving. She seethed on the inside, but it didn't seem like she could do anything about it. Despite that, she still felt the strong urge to put on the dress and seek his approval.

On an impulse, she grabbed one more item off a rack on the way to the changing rooms.

* * *

"Kol… I don't know about this one, the fit doesn't seem quite right," Charlotte's voice ran out from the dressing room. While she sounded unsure, she didn't sound embarrassed.

"Let's have a look, darling," Kol replied smugly, looking up from his cell phone. In the dressing room hallway, he leant back on the opposite side from the room she was in.

Charlotte barely waited a second before stepping out. Rather than tugging on the clothes awkwardly or wrapping her arms around her hips, she strode out with her hands on her hips. Kol's eyes shot to her greedily right away, but he didn't even see the sly smirk on her face.

He saw pink, lots of a pink and white. Fuzzy pink and white.

Charlotte thoroughly enjoyed watching his expression morph between reactions in seconds; from smug, to shocked, confused, bemused and maybe a little bit frustrated.

He opened his mouth several times, no words came out at first and he cocked his head at her taking a step closer. He expected to see lots of flesh, but she was covered nearly head to toe.

"What's a matter?" Charlotte mocked and thumbed the hem of her dress. "Does the color of my Hello Kitty adult onesie not match?" He never said she couldn't put anything on _under_ the dress.

"Adorable," Kol drawled out dryly. It looked like he was somewhere between annoyed and amused, she had hoped the later. But she wasn't that lucky, annoyance won over and he quickly backed her up against the door of the changing room.

"Finding a loophole in my compulsion – clever," He murmured to her in a quiet voice, he didn't need to be loud with how close he brought his face to hers. She swallowed thickly at his tone of voice. "However, I wouldn't turn into a habit," He warned darkly.

Charlotte's nostrils flared defiantly. She understood he was stronger than her, but she wasn't going to take this treatment just because of that. "I'm not your doll to dress up, Kol," She hissed back at him. "If you want someone to toy with, go play with her," She waved her hand towards the end of the hallway, where the dazed out compelled assistant manager was.

His eyes narrowed on her. "Maybe I will," He countered, accepting her challenge.

* * *

Charlotte wasn't sure who was more immature in that moment; whether it was Kol for stomping off like a spoiled brat after the manager or her sitting on the cashier counter like a pouting brat. Sure enough, he had bee-lined it straight for the compelled human after that. It left her to bag up the clothes they had picked out. At least she got a couple of good outfits out of it. She folded hers up into bags neatly and she just tossed his clothing in the other bags carelessly.

Even after that, she was still waiting on him. She shot a glare down the end of the counter where Kol and the human were. He had his face buried in her neck. She could smell the blood. The skirt of the woman was pushed up to her waist and she had a leg hitched up against him. She couldn't see where both of his hands were.

Charlotte's lip curled up, glaring at the two. She couldn't tell if the girl was actually compelled based on the way she was responding to him. Even worse, she wasn't entirely sure what orifice that gurgling noise was coming from.

"Ugh," Charlotte sniped out impatiently. "Aren't you done yet?"

Kol pulled his face away from her flesh, red smeared on his lips and chin. Talk about sloppy, Charlotte thought.

"You're more than welcome to join in," His animalistic grin was more pronounced with his fangs.

Charlotte made a disgusted face and clamped her mouth shut. She looked away from him, shaking her head. She held back the first comment that came to mind, simply because she didn't want to encourage him.

When he was finally done with the human, he set her back down on the ground. Charlotte still refused to look at him while they straightened out their clothing. He compelled her to wear a scarf for a while and take care of the missing inventory, not caring about the fact she would likely get fired for all this.

"Ready to go?" Kol addressed Charlotte with a nonchalant cheer, as if he had been waiting on her the entire time. Charlotte hopped down from the counter and grabbed the bags, eager to get out of there. He approached her, reaching a hand out.

Whatever he intended to touch didn't make it, Charlotte quickly sidestepped him and went ahead of him.

"Not before you wash your hands," She muttered under her breath as she went.

* * *

Charlotte was in the passenger seat before him. When he took the driver's seat, he didn't start the engine immediately. She gave his hands a brief flicker of her eyes, worried about the way he calmly wrapped them around the steering wheel without doing anything. His expression was composed, meaning something was on his mind.

"Charlotte," He said her name in a way that lacked tenderness.

"I'll have you know… there is nothing I can't make you do," He reminded. Even though she didn't fully understand the finesse of compulsion, she didn't doubt he was speaking the truth. "Don't forget that," He warned.

She stayed silent, but still in her seat.

"And for all you know, I could have done so already," He pointed out darkly. "And you would have no idea," He smirked, finally looking over at her.

She didn't doubt the monster that lingered beneath the surface of the handsome man. She knew he was trying to scare her, but it was also a warning.

She bit her lip, realizing he was waiting for some sort of response from her.

"Okay," Charlotte said quietly, but couldn't let it go. "But can I ask you something?"

She just received a hard expression and no interruption from him.

She questioned him, not in an accusing tone, but a genuinely curious and maybe even little bit of a sad one, "Is it as satisfying once you've taken their free will away?"

Kol never answered her.

* * *

The next stop left Charlotte rather confused. It wasn't too long after their stop at Macy's that he pulled into another parking lot. This one was much more crowded because technically this place never closed. When he shut off the engine, clearly intending to stay a little bit, Charlotte couldn't contain it anymore. She leant forward to the dash and stared up at the iconic red symbol.

"Umm… I don't understand," She mumbled honestly before looking to Kol. "Are you hurt?"

Kol just snorted at her, by the time they got to the hospital, his previous mood had passed.

"No," He said while unbuckling and opening the door. "Stay here," He ordered and didn't wait for a response from her.

That was fine with Charlotte, she just stared after him blankly. She had no desire to visit hospitals when she was human and that didn't change in the afterlife.

About twenty minutes later, he came back to their rental car, which was just a red Ford Focus, with a Styrofoam cooler. With the keys, he popped the trunk and placed the cooler in the trunk, not before taking an item out of it. When he came around the side of the vehicle and climbed back in his seat, he dropped the item in Charlotte's lap.

She froze and her eyes drew wide at the plastic bag filled with the maroon liquid. "What is this?" She blurted out immediately, not meaning literally of course.

"Consider it a compromise," Kol hummed out, giving a glance around the parking lot. It wasn't like anyone was paying them mind. "Blood bags – the alternative to you fussing over hurting people and me having to listen to it."

Charlotte shot him a glare at the slant, but hesitantly wrapped her fingers around the cool bag anyway.

"But, just so you know," Kol warned her in almost a playful tone. "If I hear you even consider hunting bunnies, I'm drawing the line."

"Hunting bunnies?" Charlotte scoffed with horror. "Why would I do that?" They were so cute and innocent.

"Exactly," Kol chuckled and then nodded at her bag. "Now go on, drink up."

Admittedly, Charlotte was a little nervous to have an audience, but the burning in her throat was vicious again. Her gums ached as she drew the bag to her face. Before she could consider whether or not she should use the bag, she already bit down into the plastic.

Kol watched the young vampire down greedy gulps with fascination. He never got tired of watching the tenacity of young vampires.

Drinking her first blood bag in the parking lot of a hospital near Philadelphia with Kol Mikaelson was a moment she would never forget.

It wasn't because of the taste or the way she moaned with delight as she drank, but what happened when the bag was reduced to a shriveled raisin. She pulled the plastic away from her mouth with a sigh.

"Tsk, tsk," Kol chided from his seat. The space between them seemed smaller with the flush of her senses, the sensations tingling along her skin. "Such a messy eater."

Before she could ask, he reached out and swiped his thumb lightly against her chin. He caught the bead of blood before it fell, but it already left a trail from the corner of her mouth. Numb to rationality, Charlotte watched him draw his thumb back to his mouth. She fixated on it until it disappeared between his lips, to be licked away by his tongue.

Even after it was gone, she stared after it. Because of that, she didn't notice him leaning closer. The coppery but enticing aroma was still in the air when he brought his lips to her jaw. She felt the brushing of his lips before feeling his tongue licking away the traces of blood. She stilled and closed her eyes, reveling in the hypersensitivity of her new existence. The air was stifling as he moved up slowly along the trail, to the corner of her mouth.

She shouldn't have done it, she knew, but she did anyway. When he reached the corner of her mouth, her head turned towards his. She saw without opening her eyes, using her other senses. She had already tasted the last remains of the blood on his lips and felt the coarseness of his hair at the back of his neck before she realized what she was doing.

Even when she did realize it, she carried on for a few moments anyway. It was an intoxicating and addicting rhythm to fall into, the movement of his lips against hers, trading between each other.

Reason came back sharply when there was no more blood left. Her eyes snapped open and both hands pushed away from him. Damnit, she didn't even realize at what point she knotted both hands into his hair.

She gasped, petrified and mortified. Kol didn't open his eyes immediately, his mouth remained a little parted, his lips flushed pinker than normal. She pulled her hands back abruptly, as if she had been shocked.

A slow, confident smirk surfaced on his expression before he looked her in the eyes. "To answer your question, darling," He whispered in a wicked and smug way. "It is far more satisfying to be yearned than to force."


	11. Homecoming Souvenir

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Mary VA: Thank you! Yeah I definitely want to make it distinct in that Charlotte isn't just another playtoy for Kol (but sometimes he needs reminders). Kelly, thank you so much! He's a cheeky little bastard. Karen, thank you! Ask and you shall receive. Dark Masta, thank you so much! You seriously have my utmost respect for choosing to read my story as a non-native English speaker in your spare time. I really admire that and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"_**You know how I get when someone touches what belongs to me." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Alicia Keys (Solo) – Empire State of Mind]_

* * *

Charlotte was surprised she didn't burn a whole through the window with how much time she spent glaring out it after the blood-high induced kiss. It made it worse because she swore she could feel Kol's smugness from the driver seat. For a long time after that incident in the parking lot, she just refused to acknowledge his existence and spent the time sulking with her arms over her chest.

That changed once they started to reach the city. They stopped in New Jersey to get rid of the rental car and opted for a taxi to take them the rest of the way. Charlotte was pretty sure Kol compelled the man to drive them for free, but she figured it was better than getting lost with him driving or dealing with the traffic.

The hostility in her demeanor shifted to wonder as she started to take in the large skyscrapers and buildings. She would have opened the window, but all the noise from the traffic and people was extra grating on her new senses. She heard Kol chuckle a few times at her reactions, but otherwise he didn't taunt her any further until they pulled up to the apartment complex.

The building was much nicer than anything she ever fathomed living in. There was a door man in a fine and fitted suit that greeted him at the door. Kol insisted they didn't need his help with the bags. He carried the cooler while Charlotte had the shopping bags and they went inside. The marble lobby with the glittering chandelier immediately made her feel out of place. She just numbly followed Kol to the elevators, hitting the button for one of the top of the floors.

The floor they went to had only two doors in the hallway. By doors, it was really a set of double doors, which Charlotte had the feeling was just the beginning of something less modest than the studio apartments she was used to. She gasped when Kol unlocked the door and they stepped inside.

The front foyer led into a hallway that branched off into several different rooms. This supposed apartment had more living space than her parent's house. It was decorated in a monochromatic modern style.

"Well, here it is," Kol declared casually, closing the door behind him. Charlotte barely heard him, she went ahead, and walking through with her mouth hung open.

"What do you think?" He smirked at her reaction when he caught up with her in the living room. The exterior wall was actually floor to ceiling windows of the New York City skyline.

Charlotte just let out a gasping swear that Kol honestly wasn't entirely sure what it meant. But he picked up on it from her inflection.

"Yes, well the bedrooms are upstairs and," He was going to keep going, but Charlotte spun on her heel to face him.

"There's an _upstairs_, too?" She interrupted him.

"Yes," Kol blinked as if it was obvious. "Why does all this surprise you so much?" He waved a hand around them.

"I don't know," Charlotte stuttered out, looking back to the view of the city. "I knew your family was old… I just didn't," She gestured towards her head. "Immediately associated that with rich, too."

Kol just snorted at her and shook his head.

"Yes, well, make yourself at home or make a mess – I don't care, but stay here," He ordered, causing her to give him her attention seriously. "I have some business I need to attend to immediately," He explained.

Charlotte nodded, not really wanting to know what he meant by that. They made a few stops before coming to the building and she stayed in the taxi for them. Being what he was, there were probably some acquaintances she was better off not meeting.

"Will you be good here for a couple of hours?" Kol asked.

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," She replied easily. It didn't sound like he was going to be gone long.

* * *

After Kol, Charlotte preoccupied herself with unpacking the blood bag cooler in the kitchen. She knew something was a little bit off when she opened the refrigerator and already found there was another stash. Briefly, she wondered if this was the residence that Gloria had been talking about in the motel. The one that one person already lived here, it would make sense, Charlotte thought. If this was Kol's place only, there was no way he would have been able to keep up with it from the Other Side.

With that in mind, she was careful when she went upstairs. She avoided the double doors up there that likely led to the master bedroom. She opted for one of the rooms that looked like a guest room. She didn't know where to put Kol's clothing, so she left his bags in the hallway. She unpacked hers in one of the guest rooms.

After that, she opted to soak for a bit in the bathroom that adjoined two of the guest rooms. The bathtub was oversized and ornate, just like the rest of the home. It was some bizarre luxurious dream, but she took advantage of it. She relaxed for some time, enjoying the various fragrances and soaps.

When she was done, she changed into a pair of new jeans they picked up at Macy's. With that, she threw on a simple green top. She didn't bother getting her hair wet and Charlotte spent a few minutes undoing Kol's braid. Her hair had dried into curly waves, almost like if she had spent the afternoon at the beach. She thought about brushing it out, but ultimately decided to leave it.

With everything going on, Charlotte was exhausted by then, more mentally than physically. The large bed with the extravagant comforter and pillows was calling to her. The only downside was that it was still quite sunny in the late afternoon. She wanted a nap, that she didn't care about, but she couldn't figure out how to close the blinds.

She did find some sort of remote when she heard the apartment door open again. Swiftly, she headed for the staircase to catch up with Kol.

"Hey! I'm glad you're back," She called out as she came to the bottom of the stairs. She thought she heard him in the kitchen.

She squinted at the remote and the touch screen buttons as she headed that way. "I know you're a little bit behind on this too, but do you have any idea how to –"

Her words were cut off with a gasp and a hand wrapping around her throat. Charlotte looked up, finding not Kol, but piercing blue eyes and a very angry blonde woman.

"Who are you?" She hissed at Charlotte in a thick British accent. "You have a lot of nerve breaking into here."

Charlotte heard her, but she was too preoccupied with the pain and discomfort of feeling her windpipe crushed. She gasped, losing the little oxygen she did have. The remote dropped to the floor and she felt herself rising up on her toes from the domineering blonde. Immediately, her strength told her that she wasn't just an ordinary human.

"Well?" The blonde snapped out impatiently, seeing the woman trying to grab at her wrist in vain. "How did you get in here?" Clearly the lock wasn't broken, so someone must have let her in or she had gotten a key somehow.

"K-k-uh," Charlotte tried to respond, but she felt the stars dancing in her vision instead from the deprivation. The more she tried to speak, the tighter she felt the grip on her throat.

"That's enough," A third voice interrupted from behind the blonde. A voice that Charlotte was relieved to hear. "I suggest you let go of Miss Davidson," He warned darkly. He didn't like seeing the way she was raised up in the air by her neck.

The hostility in the blonde's expression deadpanned into shock. Her fingers began to loosen a bit and lowered Charlotte back to her feet. She heard his voice, but it was clear she was in disbelief if she really had.

"You know how I get when someone touches what belongs to me," Kol flashed a predatory smirk towards the blonde.

Charlotte gasped for air when she was finally released. She doubled over, her shoulders heaving while the blonde ignored her. She turned to face Kol with wide baby blues.

"Kol?" In comparison to the blonde's shock, Kol's expression was pulled into a tight and controlled one, the dissatisfaction evident in his eyes.

"Hello sister," He addressed indifferently. Charlotte made a face. _This_ was supposed to be his sister? Rebekah, she vaguely recalled him mentioning the name.

"How…" The blonde stepped closer to him while Charlotte coughed a few times behind her. "You're here, how… How can I see you?"

The tears at the corner of her eyes didn't move him last time and they certainly wouldn't this time. He still remembered how viciously she yelled at him to leave. "The Other Side is falling apart and with it the veil," He declared shortly.

Rebekah blinked a short nod, barely digesting that information with her shock. To Charlotte's surprise, she didn't go over and hug her brother. If anything, the tension was unbearably stifling. It didn't seem like this would be the warm reception she assumed most families would have.

Rebekah took it for what it was worth. He was here, as a ghost, like the last time the veil was down. He would come and leave again before too long. "And her?" She nodded towards Charlotte. "Who is she?" She wondered.

Charlotte opened her mouth, but Kol beat her to it.

"This is Charlotte," He began to introduce but then paused. What should he call her? She definitely wasn't an acquaintance at this point. Not a friend either. "She's… a souvenir I brought back with me from the Other Side," He smirked playfully at Charlotte before looking to Rebekah.

Charlotte stood up straight and gave Kol an indignant look behind Rebekah's back.

"Brought back?" Rebekah latched onto those two words, fixating on Kol. "What do you mean brought back? You're here to stay?" She dared to wonder, feeling her hopes lift.

"Alive and no intentions of going anywhere," Kol confirmed in a calm tone, but then added on in an acid tone. "No help from you… Elijah… or Niklaus."

The sting of his words showed in Rebekah's reaction, but Kol didn't care. He was seething on the inside and he had a right to.

"Kol, if there was any way we could have known –" Rebekah began to plead her case.

"Save it, sister," Kol snapped, cutting her words off harshly. He stepped up to go nose to nose with her, looking down at her because of his height.

Charlotte wanted to stay and watch, but also wanted to disappear into the walls at the awkwardness of observing this.

"Let's not repeat the same tired lies of family and loyalty," He suggested, or rather threatened. He had already been through it with her before how little she mourned his death. He wouldn't listen to her try to pretend that she would actually try to bring him back if given the option.

"Especially when I know you three's idea of family these days," He lowered his voice, no longer hiding the disgust in his expression and tone. "Is fawning over some bayou werewolf spawn," He spat out.

Rebekah recoiled from the harsh words, but he wasn't finished there.

"So know this, Bekah," Kol declared, making himself very clear. "I didn't come back for you. I didn't come back for Elijah. And I certainly did not come back for Niklaus."

Rebekah squared her shoulders, lifting her chin defiantly. "Then why did you come back at all?" She accused stubbornly.

Kol gave a dark noiseless chuckle. "Isn't it obvious?" He sneered. "I came back for myself. I wanted my life back… And I'm going to start right here in New York."

"No!" Rebekah protested immediately. "Absolutely not, I was here first." She knew it was the family's penthouse that they were in, but she had gotten here first. "I am finally free to have my own life, I'm not trading one controlling brother for another."

At that, Kol jerked his head back a bit. His eyes narrowed on her thoughtfully. Truthfully, he had checked in briefly with New Orleans on the Other Side, but he couldn't bear to hang around there long. He certainly didn't bother to keep up with all the events.

His tone shifted into a softer one. If anything, he was a little offended by the accusation.

"Have you forgotten so easily?" He wondered aloud. He reached up towards Rebekah's face, pulling one of the long curled locks away from her eyes.

Charlotte wasn't sure to make of the intimate gesture between the siblings. With how they looked at each other and spoke, it made her wonder how far apart and how close they had been throughout the centuries.

Rebekah didn't answer him or know what he meant. She had never been good with hiding her emotions, especially when she was confused and scared.

"Elijah and Niklaus may have tried to contain and control you," Kol admitted before his eyes darted back up to his baby sister. "But I never did."


	12. Pistachio and Strawberry

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! No Rebekah this chapter, but she'll be back. I thought it was important to have some Charlotte/Kol bonding. (Would Charkol be a good ship name?) Guest, I never thought to compare Charlotte to Caroline, thanks for pointing that out! I haven't decided the exact nature of Rebekah and Kol's relationship, but he won't completely forgive her – he won't forget everything that has happened – but I haven't decided if they'll work something out yet. Kelly, thanks! That quote really stood out to me and I decided to focus the story on it, not just literally being seen, but Kol/Charlotte trying to find their place in the world again. Songtoyou, Yeah exactly. I feel like Kol was the brother she should have hung out with instead, he probably would have treated her better than Niklaus did for sure. **

* * *

"_**I'm just getting to know you, darling." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Christina Perri – The Lonely]_

* * *

Kol made it clear that he, and therefore Charlotte, were intending on staying for a while. Charlotte took the first excuse to get away from the tense standoff between the siblings and retreat to the guestroom. The days after that, she didn't think they really resolved much. What they had said was true, they both wanted their own lives and apparently they took that seriously. It was almost childish, but too serious for Charlotte to find humorous how much they avoided each other. Rebekah flitted in and out of the penthouse frequently.

It was pretty apparent that Rebekah didn't like Charlotte. At first, Charlotte had thought she did something particularly wrong, but after a while she figured that was just the way Rebekah was. She would glare at the young vampire every time she was in the room until she left. Or she made snide comments about free loaders and bothersome house guests. For the moment, Charlotte just tried to stay out of her way and not give her anything to complain about. It was easier the nights that she didn't stay at the penthouse.

One morning soon after their arrival in New York, Kol woke with a groan. He heard some racket coming downstairs, the sounding of low thuds and scrapping. Begrudgingly, he climbed out of bed and threw a shirt on with his pajama pants. Coming out of his bedroom, he rubbed his eyes. It was very early in the morning and he could have sworn Rebekah didn't come home the previous night. She was probably pouring her heart out to some other mortal or something pathetic like that.

He was about to yell out to Rebekah when he heard the music coming down the stairs. Squinting tiredly, he followed the noise past the kitchen and into the living room area. He paused in the entryway of the room. All the furniture had been pushed up against the walls. The couch was now directly in front of the television in an inaccessible way. He was about to protest, but he hesitated.

The culprit for this was in the center of the room.

With Rebekah being gone and no threat of upsetting her in the morning, the hardwood floor of the living room and the magnificent view seemed like a perfect place for morning exercise. Charlotte had in a pair of black leggings and a fitted athletic tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a loose messy bun. She had finished her stretches when Kol arrived and the music came from the stereo by the television, but she didn't notice him.

As the first sound of the piano played, Kol forgot about his complaints. He watched Charlotte begin to move to the music, first running through several different positions. She moved in a slow and haunted way with her eyes closed, feeling the music.

So she was a dancer, he thought. He leant against the wall and resigned to watching her.

It was memorizing in a way, because she wasn't a perfect dancer. No, he had seen numerous performances at the Bolshoi Theatre that were so flawless it was easy forget to the ballerinas were human. But with Charlotte, he saw the imperfections and the mistakes she made. He found that more fascinating than how many spinning attitudes or releves she could do. He admired her body openly, watching the way her lean form bent with grace, but also strained with the exertion. Particularly through the parts she had to slow down, the parts that needed practice, he watched. It was interesting to him to see the way her expression shifted from peace to determination. It was the real human struggle before his eyes. Her body at the strength and the endurance now, but vampirism didn't automatically grant her technique and form.

His thoughts drifted away as he watched her. It did made him realize he didn't actually know much about her. Their conversations had been so fixated on present problems and his history. She had also been good at dodging questions, but he decided he wasn't going to allow that anymore.

It seemed almost too soon that the song drew to a finish and Charlotte drew to her last pose on the floor. She let out a deep exhale. He could hear her faint panting from where he stood. He hadn't been shy about watching the curves of her body through the movements or the rise and fall of her chest through it all. But he didn't find himself watching her in the strictly predatory way he normally did. This performance humbled him in a way.

"You're a beautiful dancer," Kol broke the silence when Charlotte began to stretch her legs on the floor.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. She looked over her shoulder at him, feeling a faint flare of embarrassment at the unexpected audience. "Thank you," She murmured quickly, looking away from him.

She bit her lip and thought about it. The compliment sounded sincere. There was no smirk on his face or taunt in his voice. He wasn't asking anything else of her. Confused, but intrigued by it, Charlotte looked back over her shoulder at him. He was already gone before she could ask him about it.

* * *

"What did you do before all of this?" Kol waved his hand in the air absently while his other dug the spoon into the ice cream.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte snorted at his tone. She was digging through her own bowl of ice cream while the two sat at a picnic table in Central Park. Admittedly, she was rather surprised when he later suggested the two of them heading out into the city for a bit. Despite her first apprehension, it turned into a peaceful stroll before they grabbed ice cream and stopped in the park.

"Before you were turned," Kol said, not needing to remind her of going to the Other Side and everything that happened after that. He took the first bite of his ice cream and made a face at it.

"Oh, I was junior in college," Charlotte answered, trying to hide her smirk as she watched him. She was rather partial to her ice cream, banana flavored with chocolate chunks and butterscotch on top.

"What about you?" Charlotte turned the question around, noticing Kol was starting to eye her bowl ice cream up instead of his. "What did you do when you were human?" She clarified.

Kol gave a half shrug, stirring the green and red around in his bowl. "I hunted, my father taught me to fight…I dabbled a bit in witchcraft," He said vaguely.

"What?" Charlotte's eyebrows shot up at the last word.

Kol shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Discussion for another day," He denied. Today seemed too good to let that conversation ruin it. It was a rather warm day and peaceful to enjoy the park and being alive.

"What did you study in college?" Kol asked while his spoon reached forward to snag some of Charlotte's ice cream. She didn't pay it any mind the first time.

"Theatre and dance," She replied automatically before adding on, "More the dance than theatre."

Kol nodded after tasting her ice cream. He definitely liked that flavor more. After seeing what he saw this morning, the latter didn't surprise him. "Ah, so you're an actress," His voice rang lightly and he smirked. "That explains it."

"Explains what?" Charlotte's voice rose suspiciously, for the moment ignoring his spoon reaching back towards her ice cream. She was glad to find she still had a taste for human food, even if it didn't satisfy the blood cravings.

Kol grinned knowingly. "Well the fact you can keep yourself so controlled at times," He said, knowing he wasn't quite expressing it properly, but trying anyway. "Except for your eyes," He pointed out specifically, his ambers meeting her hazels. "They give you away."

Charlotte opened her mouth, momentarily stunned while Kol brought the spoon his mouth again. She wasn't sure if the playful glint in his eyes was irritating or not this time. "I never said I was a _good_ actress," Charlotte defended, shrugging her shoulders, while thinking no one had put it that before.

"How long have you been dancing for?" Kol asked her.

Charlotte cocked her head at him this time. "Where are all these questions coming from, Kol?" She countered.

He just shrugged innocently. "I'm just getting to know you, darling," He gave her a cheeky dimple. "I like to know who I'm living with, you could be a mass murderer for all I know," He said with mock horror.

Charlotte snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "Very funny – Hey!" Her scowl turned to a protest, seeing his spoon again dip into her bowl. "Would you quit being such a vulture?"

"But your ice cream tastes better," Kol whined, looking more like a pouting brat than a lethal Original.

"I tried to tell you pistachio and strawberry would be weird," Charlotte shook her head, glancing towards his melting bowl that was turning into a slop of brown from the colors mixing.

"Charlotte…" He drew her name out in a long pout, thick with his accent. He protruded his lower lip a bit at her as well.

"Ugh, fine," Charlotte gave up. She rose up on her feet and scooted to his side of the picnic table. She sat down next to him, so she wouldn't have to stretch across the table to share him with. He grinned triumphantly and pushed his bowl away to get at hers.

"But next time you're getting your own," She warned at him, sitting next to him. Her knee bumped against his from the proximity.

He quirked an eyebrow at her and didn't say anything. He didn't say anything about the fact he thought it was interesting she said there would be a next time. They traded a few taunting comments back and forth while they worked to the bottom of the bowl, which didn't take much time between the two of them. Charlotte abandoned her spoon first, opting to let him finish it off.

"I like this," She blurted out thoughtlessly. Honestly, the afternoon to take her mind off everything else and away from the penthouse was much needed. Kol turned his head towards her with a questioning gaze.

"Just you and me," She explained with a rare broad smile. Them without the tension of Rebekah around or the Other Side. Before she really thought anything of it, she reached her hand out to his in his lap and clasped her fingers around it. "Being normal." It wasn't about hunting or anything supernatural, it made her feel human again and him seem human too.

Kol looked down to their hands. It wasn't the first time they touched, but it struck him a little different this time. He wasn't sure how yet, but either way, he turned her palm over so he could thread her fingers with his.

Rather than tease or taunt her, he gave a small smile in response.


	13. Pass the Soap

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Apparently I have a thing for Rolling Stones and sexual Charkol scenes. Next chapter will be smutty. Dark Masta, thank you sweetie! Yeah, things won't be perfect between Rebekah and Kol ever again (which is a shame, I loved them in season 3). Mary VA, Thank you! I thought it would be good to have a cute fluffy chapter before things get dark and intense like this one. Thank you, Kelly! Your excitement makes my day. And much love to songtoyou for listening to my rambles!**

* * *

"_**You don't always get what you want and sometimes you just have to take it." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Rolling Stones – You Can't Always Get What You Want]_

* * *

Charlotte knew that they bickered frequently, but this fight was the worst one she heard since they arrived in New York. She tried to stay out of their way. It was impossible not to overhear the shouting, especially with her vampire senses. To her, Kol's voice stood out more than Rebekah's. She didn't care as much about Rebekah, but beneath the anger in Kol's voice, she heard the pain.

"_And Matt Donovan? Still? After Finn?"_

"_Maybe – maybe I could look past that after what he did, what he tried to do to us. But you, Bekah, and Elena Gilbert?!"_

"_She plotted to kill me. She set a trap with that Hunter brother of hers. They killed me and what did you do?"_

"_It made me sick watching you from the Other Side."_

"_All for the Cure. And for what? Where is your Cure now?"_

Charlotte didn't pretend to know the entire history of their family, but she figured the worst remark Kol made was the one that sent Rebekah stomping out of the penthouse.

"_Mikael may have hated Niklaus because he represented his greatest failure… And a bastard he is, but for every dagger he put in us, he never abandoned us. From the way I see it, Father was wrong – you sister – are by far worse than Niklaus."_

Charlotte startled the slamming of the front door and the way it shook through the walls. She decided to stay out of the way in the kitchen. She was nursing a blood bag, sitting at the island counter, when she saw Kol go by, heading for the staircase. A few heavy boots against the steps later, she heard his bedroom door shut.

The young vampire let out a sigh. Talk about awkward and tense, but she felt for Kol. He did a good job at hiding how he felt with his anger, but she saw him on the Other Side. She didn't believe that was all there was to it.

She finished off her blood bag and her conscious got the best of her. She went for the stairs, wanting to see how Kol was doing.

She paused outside his bedroom door. For a moment, she wondered if this would be a good idea to confront him while he was upset. But she wasn't coming after him hostility, she was coming to him out of concern for him. She listened, but didn't hear anything.

Braving her nerves, she knocked a few times on the door. "Kol?" She called out softly. She waited, but didn't hear anything.

She didn't feel like just leaving it alone and walking away. So Charlotte tried to open the door and found it unlocked. "Kol?" She called out into the room, she made it three steps in before she noticed him standing close to his suite's bathroom door.

"Oh!" Charlotte gasped, realizing he wasn't alone.

He pulled his neck out of the maid, a young Hispanic woman with questionable documentation. "I'm sorry, I…" Charlotte blurted out and turned around to leave. She heard the body drop to the ground, but she was more startled by Kol flashing to block her way.

"Charlotte," He purred out her name, but not in a humane way. He didn't look human with the blood smeared from his mouth. The red faded from his eyes, but the predator was still there.

"Leaving already?" Kol taunted when she tried to step around him, but he moved to block her again.

"I should go, Kol," Charlotte tried to sound more assertive than her instincts felt. This was a bad idea to come here, she realized.

"But we just started talking, darling," His voice rose with fake cheer, flashing his teeth at her.

"I understand and we can talk more tomorrow –" Charlotte tried to shove past him this time, but she gasped at his hand going to her throat.

"No," He growled, leaning over her. "You're going to stay here and do everything I tell you until I tell you are free to go. Understood?"

Charlotte was already nodding when she realized he compelled her. She felt her heart begin to pound faster and her stomach twist into a sickening knot. Kol smirked at her. The feeling was made worse when he released her neck and made a point of locking the bedroom door.

"Kol," She tried to plead with her voice, but he ignored her.

"I remember what you said about being wanted rather than forced," Kol drawled out inside before turning back to Charlotte slowly. "It's true, but there's one problem with that," He decided to correct in a formidable tone.

He stepped up to the young vampire. He could see the slight shake in her shoulders, from fighting the urge to stay, or maybe even the dead maid that was still bleeding on the floor. "You don't always get what you want," He said, "And sometimes you just have to take it."

Kol leant down to look her in the eyes. Charlotte turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut while he whispered, "Take off your clothes."

She wanted to fight it. She thought she did by not looking at him, but it was already too late because of his first compulsion. Her hands started moving before she could help it. They pulled her shirt over her head first. She felt chilled by the exposure to the air. Being stubborn, she looked up at him then while her hands continued to move. She tried to keep herself composed, clenching her teeth together tightly and glaring at him.

"Don't do this, Kol," She tried to reason with him, hating the fact she couldn't fight the urge to remove her pants for him. The Original just ignored her and watched his compulsion unfold in front of him. While she was trying to be strong and calm, he could see the truth in her eyes. They were glassy and shook with fear and something else rather passionate.

When she was reduced to her underwear, she made quick work of getting rid of it, to not give him the enjoyment of the show. Stubbornly, she stood up straight and wrapped her arms tightly over her chest, trying to cover what she could. Honestly though, she felt completely vulnerable and exposed in a way she had never considered with him. She should have. He was a monster, he had reminded her of that several times before. She should have believed him then.

"Very good, darling," He smirked at her, his eyes moving greedily over her flesh. "Now undress me," He ordered.

Charlotte grimaced, the anger and disgust seething even more in her. Even with that, she stepped up to him and her hands went to his shirt to button it first. She glared up at him, refusing to look away from his eyes. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of her eyes wandering over his body, even for the briefest of moments. And so she kept looking up at him, even when she was reduced to being on her knees, undoing his belt and jeans.

She only closed her eyes when she felt the first tears starting to fall.

With the last of his clothing pooled on the floor, Charlotte tried to wipe the tears away hurriedly before standing up. She wrapped her arms back tightly around herself. He wasn't smirking that much when she looked at him again. He had his head cocked, studying her in a morbid.

"Kol, if you do this," She warned him, finding little strength in her voice. "I swear to God, you will be dead to me."

She didn't have any control over her body at the moment, but she did have control over that. "I will never stop hating you for it," She promised him.

Kol narrowed his eyes on her, almost as if he was really thinking about her warning. But then he just snorted. Even if she did hate him for it, he could just make her forget. It was interesting how the young vampire tried to bear fangs bigger than what she actually had.

"Get in the shower with me," He ordered of her instead.

* * *

Steam quickly filled up the oversized bathroom. The shower wasn't like the traditional stalls in most homes. Like the decadence of the rest of the penthouse, it was much larger with magnificent stone. Truthfully, five or six people could stand comfortably together under the multiple jets of warm water.

Kol stepped in front of the main one. He spent a moment feeling the steam and water wash over him. He ran his hands through his hair and then down to his face, washing the blood away from his chin. It was taking everything in him not to lash out in a more murderous way. It sickened him and infuriated him to think about his siblings. Which was worse? The one that spent the summer sleeping with the murderer of one brother? Or better yet, how she befriended and conspired with his murderer for her own selfish gain? And his other two brothers, where were they? Oh, that's right, in New Orleans trying to claim something that wasn't theirs and fawning over some pathetic werewolf.

He turned around and saw the other occupant in the shower. Despite the room, she was backed into the corner furthest away from him. Her hair fell over her eyes from the way her head was bowed. He could see her knees shaking and her nails dug into her skin, clutching onto herself.

Then there was her, he realized. Where his siblings were nowhere in sight, she was here. Granted, he compelled her into the bathroom with him, but she still came to his bedroom. Why? He wondered. Why was she always there? She was there on the Other Side. She was there to help bring him back and she was still here now. Why was she so damn loyal to him?

And now she looked weak, fragile and pathetic – because of him.

"Charlotte," He closed the distance between them without touching her. His voice was softer this time.

She shook her head a bit, as if trying not to allow herself to acknowledge him.

"Please look at me," He whispered gently to her. His hand raised to her chin, placing two fingers under it. Rather than forcing her, even though the compulsion still made her, he guided her to look up at him. Those hazel eyes were a storm of hurt and ferocity.

Confusion filled them next at the change in his demeanor. The blood was gone, so were the veins and the fangs. The egotistical smirk was replaced by the expression of a man worn down.

"I'm sorry," He said as his thumb brushed against her lower lip. Her brow pulled together tightly at that, looking at him more steadily. "You're free to go," He released her mentally. His other hand moved lightly to touch her hip, not in an aggressive way.

Immediately, Charlotte felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest and her feet – like they were no longer as heavy and free to move. She could very easily shrug him off and march right out of the bathroom, his bedroom, and his life.

But she stayed for the moment, to see what else he had to say.

"But please, at least consider staying," He requested. "Staying… here with me," His voice trailed uncertainly, searching Charlotte's eyes for how she really felt.

Her shoulders eased up and she felt herself relaxing, even if her mind was spinning. She had gone from being the powerless one to having the powerful one beg her faster than she could comprehend. When she was powerless, she knew what he wanted and what he was going to do. It was a fear a lot of women had and too many had suffered. But now with the choice and realizing that wasn't necessarily what this was all about, Charlotte was even more afraid – in a way. She wasn't entirely sure what he wanted from her now.

But her weakness was seeing someone just as broken as she was.

She swallowed back her pride and every instinct that said she would regret this before asking of him, "Can you pass the soap?"


	14. Scars of Humanity

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! So this is mostly just smut. You've been warned. Dark Masta, Yeah there's a lot of frustrations that need to be let out between those two. But I'm glad you love Charkol too! It's a fun dynamic to write. Mary VA, that's it exactly, you hit it the nail on the head there. This chapter shows some of that too. Once again, thanks for the feedback guys! Honestly, see the review alerts is what motivates me to update so quickly.**

* * *

"_**I feel like I'm unraveling." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Christina Perri – Backwards]_

* * *

"And this scar?" Charlotte asked behind him. The water from the shower washed away the soapy bubbles, but the faint gleam of pale flesh was still there. He didn't say anything about the way her fingers ran over it, feeling the ridges of the distressed flesh.

It was an unspoken agreement she saw in his eyes when he passed the soap to her. She was there in on delicate thread, but she clung to it. Just like the hands that reached to her, as if to make sure she wouldn't slip through his fingers. For the state of their being, his touches were rather appropriate. The casual ones were kept her waist, hips, and back.

"Roughhousing with Finn and Niklaus," Kol responded to her, barely turning his head towards her to see her reaction. He mostly just felt her exploration as her fingers moved along his shoulders.

She saw his skin quiver slightly when she moved to the next one. She bit her lip slightly from the reaction.

"That was…" Kol answered her before she even asked. "Climbing some trees with Henrik. We were racing. I was winning, for the record, but my branch snapped before I got to the top."

Charlotte's lips picked up into a faint smile.

He had eased up somewhere between them shampooing. It sounded silly, but he took the bottle from her hands and took over. Even she relaxed as his hands worked against her scalp. She tried to return the favor, which ended up being a few awkward bumps and grins due to his height. After that, asking about the scars was better than asking him about what happened in the bedroom.

Kol turned around slowly to face Charlotte. His arms moved to loop around her waist while he watched her curious expression. She was curious, but too stubborn to dare look below the waist the entire time, he noticed.

"And this one?" Charlotte asked, her fingers tracing lightly over the last and most pronounced scar on his chest. It wasn't immediately noticeable with the hair grown around it, but her fingers sought out easily enough. It was only a few inches long and almost directly on his sternum.

"My father," He replied solemnly. "The night I was turned." He tried to stifle the memory, the hurt and betrayal. Being one of the youngest in the family, he was one of the last to be killed. And yet people wondered why he shut his humanity off from the moment his new existence began. How many other people saw their parents murder their children, claiming it to be an act of love?

But it was distant memory and he pushed it away when Charlotte brought her eyes up to his. Compared to all the other times he had seen her, this was different. She had nowhere to hide. Her hair clung to her frame and her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the water. She looked like a sea nymph to him.

She noticed how far he was leaning into her when his nose brushed lightly against hers. Honestly, her stomach had been in knots the entire time, but for different reasons. She kept her hands moving so they wouldn't shake, but now they laid still against his chest. He tilted his head to the side and she gave up.

His lips felt moist and warm against hers, but firm and assertive.

She felt him steal a piece of her that day in the shower. She didn't have the blood high to blame it on this time. He didn't force her to kiss him. He didn't make her slide her hands up through his hair as she leant into him. Kissing him felt natural, as if they had done this dance a thousand times before, but it also sent her nerves on edge. The sensation left her wanting for more. His hands moved around her waist and pulled her body against his. The action caused Charlotte to let out a surprising gasp, briefly pulling away to look at Kol.

"That's all me, darling," He smirked her, his hands moving up and down her sides, sliding easily with the water still raining down on them.

She could have pushed him away and muttered embarrassing apologies as she went. There was a brief moment she could have gotten away. But she just stared up at him, gasping faintly, and that was enough initiative for him.

Kol leant down and claimed her lips again, this time more aggressively. He relished in the noise she made and the gasp that allowed his tongue to slip past her lips when he squeezed her breast. She rose on her toes for him. Her hands moved down from his hair, no longer shy about exploring the feel of his flesh and muscles beneath.

Charlotte felt him back her up two steps, but barely paid attention. Her senses were consumed the taste of him on her lips and the feeling of his hands moving along her body, particularly squeezing her breasts before moving to her hips. Like the haze of the steam in the room, she stopped thinking about the repercussions and went with what felt good. And right now that was Kol.

Kol broke away from her lips to move down her neck. His teeth scraped playful bites as he went without actually breaking the skin. His hands moved down to her rear. Charlotte let out a sharp inhaling noise as he squeezed one cheek. Her back shuddered and she raised her knee up against his hip. The way he was touching her was causing her to bloom like a morning flower.

His hand reached back to catch the back of her knee, keeping her leg hitched, before he pushed her back against the wall. While his lips were buried at the base of her neck, his other hand explored what promise laid between her thighs.

"Kol," Charlotte cooed out in his ear, closing her eyes and fixating on the way his fingertips drew circles against her clit.

He drew his lips from her throat and looked her in the eyes briefly. Hers were dark, almost as dark as his then. He laid a hungry kiss on her lips while he felt her hips quivering, bucking out eagerly against his hand. Instead, he pulled his second hand back to capture her other knee.

"Oh!" Charlotte gasped out, breaking the kiss when Kol hiked her up a bit higher against the wall. Instinctively, her legs curled around his waist, locking her ankles. Rather than kiss her this time, he wanted to watch her expression while he teased the tip of her cock against her entrance. He especially enjoyed watching the way her eyes closed and her lips parted wide as he slid into her, feeling her muscles stretch for the size of him. Her nails dug into his shoulders.

In a blur she had trouble keeping up with, she felt water splashing against her back before the cool stone floor. She was more preoccupied with the body hovering over her. He braced his elbows against the floor. His teeth nipped at her ear when he started the first slow thrust into her. The moan fell out of her lips before she could help it. Her ankles remained hooked behind him as he started to set the pace. It was overwhelming, the feel of the water around them, the chill on her ankles, his flesh against hers, and the ache in her core that he drove into.

He picked up his pace, even after he sent her over the edge the first time crying out his name. He channeled all his frustrations into sliding his cock in and out of her, faster and harder at her coaxing. All his anger with his siblings, his death, he pushed it aside and took that energy to make the woman below him forget how to do anything but moan his name.

The water in the shower had begun to cool before he felt himself start to lose his rhythm, coming close to the edge. Charlotte made it harder to hold on by whispering in his ear, "Come for me, Kol." He let out a grunt of acknowledgement before giving in and letting go. His hips twitched and jerked as he felt himself spill inside of her. Her thighs clutched to him greedily taking it all in.

It left him a panting mess, which her arms remained around him and supported him while he recovered his breath. Slowly, he pulled his face away from her neck and looked her in the eyes briefly. His sate and satisfied gaze was mirrored in hers. Even then, he let down to her lips and spent several minutes just trading lush, slow kisses. He wasn't normally one for kissing during intimacy, but nothing about the circumstances of this time had been normal. She had seen him in a raw and vulnerable state that was hard to hide now.

"I don't know what it is," He whispered to her. He reached his thumb up to trace her lower lip lightly. Her hair was soaked, some of it plastered against her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen. It was beauty and he thoroughly enjoyed seeing her in this state.

"If it's coming back from the dead," He continued despite the curiosity and confusion in her eyes. "Or maybe it's you." His tone wasn't accusing, but his brow was furrowed thoughtfully.

"But I feel like I'm unraveling," He confessed. His eyes moved up to hers, which were wide and sympathetic. "And that's why I can't have you remembering this."

And so she never remembered going into his room that night.

* * *

The next morning Charlotte stifled a yawn while she mixed half a bag of blood in with her coffee. She was glad to find some human foods actually didn't taste all that bad with blood in them. So coffee and wine were still high on her list. This morning particularly, she was really thirsty, maybe even a little achy. She didn't quite understand why.

_Well duh_, her inner voice taunted her, _you stayed up late last night in your room watching movies and old TV reruns_.

A set of sneakers coming down the stairs interrupted her inner monologue. She looked up from the kitchen to catch a sight of Kol throwing on a jacket. Clearly he was about to leave.

"Kol! Hey!" She called out to him as he disappeared from sight through the hallway.

There was a pause before the Original backed up in his steps, remerging in the entryway of the kitchen.

"Yes?" He seemed a little annoyed at the interruption.

"I," Charlotte wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug and leant back against the counter. "I heard the fight, with you and Rebekah last night…" His impassive expression made it hard to tell if she was treading on thin ice by mentioning. "I just wanted to see if you were okay," She said sincerely.

His head jerked back slightly and his expression eased up.

Why did he looked so damn surprised that someone would ask him how he's doing?

He hesitated, his lips parting before the moment passed. "I'm fine, darling," He clipped out and put on a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's nothing I can't handle," He assured tersely before disappearing.

After the front door closed, Charlotte shook her head and took her first sip of coffee, wondering if she was imagining things.


	15. Lazy Lump

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Thank you everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, here's something a little lighter this chapter. It really tickles me to hear I have readers from Spain, France and the Netherlands. Thank you so much! Many of you are wondering why Kol made her forget and to sum it up shortly, she caught him at a vulnerable, volatile state – in which he psychologically abused her and even after that she still got him to open up intimately towards her in a way he normally doesn't – so compelling her to forget wasn't just to protect her, but mostly to protect himself. And I'm sure that's a decision that he'll come to regret. ;) Anyway, please let me know what you think!**

* * *

"_**I honestly have no idea and that terrifies me." – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Jillette Johnson – Bassett Hound]_

* * *

"Someone should probably turn the TV off," Charlotte commented lightly, relaxing into the cushions of the couch. The last few days were odd. Kol seemed off, more than his usual self, he was more distant and impulsive than normal. The amount of bodies that had been cleared out spoke to that. Charlotte figured maybe she could figure something about if she got him to spend some time with her. That was how she ended up conning him into watching a movie with her. She introduced him to the first of the Lord of the Rings movies.

"Someone should," Kol agreed lightly with his eyes closed, making no move to get up. The credits were rolling on the black screen for a while now. Being the cheeky bastard he was, when he caved to the idea, he plopped down and sprawled out on most of the sofa. A leg over the armrest, an arm along the back and he decided to use Charlotte's stomach as a pillow. It left Charlotte on one end with her feet on the coffee table.

"Lazy lump," Charlotte muttered as her fingers moved through his locks. Temptation won over restraint about ten minutes into the movie. The first moment she touched his hair, he gave her an odd look, but then he felt her fingertips move along his scalp. It caused her to grin quite a bit at how she could practically hear the Original purring. Her hands moved through his hair throughout the film, mostly out of idle habit that was hard to stop.

Kol just gave a faint smirk, still not opening his eyes, which was better that way. Then Charlotte didn't have to be embarrassed by how much she was staring at him.

"Well, isn't this charming," Rebekah's voice broke the peace with a sarcastic sneer. The Original stepped out from the kitchen, clearly having been on her way to grab a drink.

The smirk fell off Kol's face and he opened his eyes with annoyance towards his sister.

"Although I'm not sure which is more pathetic," Rebekah shifted her weight to one hip and folded her arms over her chest. "The fact it took you a thousand years to finally find someone who you can tolerate your company," Rebekah then looked to Charlotte. "Or the girl that's foolish enough to not know any better."

Kol picked up his head to look at his sister properly. While Charlotte clenched her teeth together and glared at Rebekah, Kol didn't seem nearly as bothered by it.

"Ah, yes, but at least I can actually enjoy the company of the opposite sex while keeping all my clothes on," Kol retorted easily. He added on with a smirk, "I can't say the same about you, Bekah."

Rebekah shot him a scowl and stomped off looking as if she just sucked a lemon.

Charlotte let out a deep sigh after she left. Kol leant his head back, seeming not to be phased by it all.

"How long does that normally carry on for?" Charlotte waved a hand towards where Rebekah disappeared to, referring to the way those two bickered constantly.

"Oh, it could be decades easily," Kol replied nonchalantly.

Charlotte just shook her head, thinking his whole sense of time was seriously skewed. One hand fell to rest on his shoulder, which was really in her lap. The other went back to his hair, picking some of the stray strands out of his eyes.

"You enjoy my company, huh?" Charlotte couldn't help but tease him.

She saw a brief quirk of his lips before he gave a vague uninterested shrug. "Well, you haven't tried to dagger me – so that's already an improvement compared to my siblings," He retorted without actually answering her question.

Charlotte's eyebrows rose briefly. Of course she was naturally curious about his siblings, but the more she heard, the more she was starting to think she was better off not knowing.

"I found a job today," Charlotte opted to change the subject.

Kol turned his head towards her, causing Charlotte to pull her hand back. He seemed surprised, but also perplexed. "I didn't know you were looking," He said.

Charlotte just gave a half shrug. "I figured it was better than sitting around here all day," She admitted. It was also another step being closer to normal.

Kol nodded faintly, not disputing her logic. He didn't answer her further, seeming satisfied with her response. They fell into silence, save for the music coming from the rolling credits.

It left Charlotte thinking, especially about their bizarre relationship. She remembered what it felt like to first be able to touch him, after thinking she would never feel another person. Those same hands she had been afraid of before. Now, it seemed so normal and relaxed, much like the other day in Central Park.

"Isn't this strange?" Charlotte blurted out suddenly.

"What's that, darling?" Kol hummed out calmly.

"You and me," Charlotte said. She felt the nerves creep up the longer his eyes were on her. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything, but it was out and she might as well now.

Kol picked up his head and dropped his feet over the edge of the couch to sit up properly. His inquisitive gaze was enough of an indication for her to continue.

"I mean, we still hardly know each other," Charlotte frowned while Kol shifted to sit next to her. She noticed it was right next to her and not on the other end of the couch. She didn't lean away from him when he threw one arm behind her on the back of the couch.

"But," She wasn't sure how to describe it without sounding foolish. "There's something comfortable, no," She corrected herself. "Familiar about being near you."

At first he had a smug expression, but then it fainted quickly into a look she couldn't decipher. While she couldn't remember it, he did. He remembered crossing that physical threshold with her and maybe he had been a little careless with even the casual touches lately.

"Kol?" Charlotte prompted when he still didn't answer her.

He stirred out of his thoughts with cheek that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, that's your fault, actually," He replied.

"Excuse me?" Charlotte's brow furrowed with a bit of offense.

"Mhmm," Kol grinned. "You know, the beginning for a newborn vampire is a critical stage, much like infancy. Depending on how it goes, it sets the stage for what type of vampire you'll be," He explained actually seriously.

"Okay…" Charlotte mouthed slowly, following along.

"And you, darling," Kol reached forward to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. He could see her trying to ignore the gesture. "Decided to feed from another vampire."

"So?" Charlotte wondered. "Blood is blood." What did matter where it came from?

"So," He mocked her word. "You're lucky you didn't become addicted." He saw her confusion deepen even further. "Let's say, sharing blood with a vampire is akin to another physical act involving the exchange of bodily fluids," He teased darkly.

It was rather comical for him to watch how wide her eyes grew, the flushing of her cheeks – the look of pure mortification. She even struggled to get the first words out of her mouth.

"Kol, I… I had no idea, I swear," She stuttered. "I was just so angry, I didn't know. I just wanted to hurt you, I didn't mean it –" She was silenced by him placing his thumb over her lips.

"I know," He replied easily enough. Of course he was angry before he realized she was just ignorant about it.

"My point is," He went on to explain. "I suspect that is part of the reason why you feel so _comfortable_ around me." It wasn't a complete lie, he just failing the mention the other significant reason. Internally, Kol was beginning to realize just because he took the memories away, maybe the feelings didn't go away.

"The real question is," Kol pulled his thumb away from her lips. "How close would you let me to you?" He wondered. His eyes darted back and forth between her lips and her eyes, seeing the way she swallowed thickly.

"I don't know," She confessed in a low whisper. "I honestly have no idea and that terrifies me." It wasn't just because of what she could feel or do with him so close but because it was also Kol. She had seen him kill many people already. Granted, she understood that he was a vampire and it was what they do. Someday it would be what she does too, but she wasn't there yet.

"It should," He agreed solemnly, letting his hand fall from her chin.

He looked away from her hazel eyes before settling on her lips. They were slightly chapped from her biting them with worry earlier in the day. But, he was willing to bet they were still soft and he leant forward to find out.

At first, Charlotte froze at feeling his lips brush against hers. They were light and delicate, brushing against hers slowly once before stopping to see how she would respond. She closed her eyes, shutting out the light and reason before tilting her chin up towards him. He kissed her like he already knew the way to make her toes curl or cause her fingers to reach up towards his jawline, itching for more, but timid still. While it only lasted for a few seconds, it was a few moments she was acutely aware of him, the faint smell of his cologne, the stub along his jaw, the way his lips felt against hers.

"Goodnight, Charlotte," He broke away to whisper to her. He gave her one last parting look before standing up from the couch and leaving the room.

Charlotte stared after him for a long moment before clicking off the television and burying her face her hands. She was so screwed, she realized.


	16. Skinny Caramel Latte

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Here's a little bit more Charkol, but I promise more coming later. What do you think Charlotte will do at the end of this chapter? Malaladdict, thank you so much! That means a lot to me that I can keep him true to his character. Thanks to everyone who's been here every chapter and giving me your feedback, it means a lot to me! If you get a chance to listen to the music for each chapter, I'd recommend it, Jillette Johnson is an amazing underrated artist. **

* * *

"_**I don't need to take over the world to be happy." – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Jillette Johnson – Flood the Ocean]_

* * *

"You literally had New York at your fingertips and you picked working here?" Kol scoffed, his hands running over the smooth counter as he looked around with obvious distaste.

"Yeah, why not?" Charlotte replied while she put the last of the cash from the previous customer in the drawer. She admitted the green apron wasn't the most flattering, but the rest of the uniform wasn't too bad. It wasn't overly revealing or anything, she had worse in the past.

"You're a barista," Kol pointed out incredulously.

"So?" Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. It was a small, but cozy café. It stood out to her when she walked by and went inside to ask about a job afterwards – Okay, maybe she compelled herself for the position, but it was close enough. "It was what I did part time in college, except this time I don't have to worry about the pay or hours," She explained, it could just be about the people this time.

She could see that Kol was having a hard time trying to understand it. Charlotte just tried not to shake her head. The pretentiousness of his lifestyle definitely had its lasting effects on his perspective.

"Speaking of pay," He lowered his voice seriously for a moment. "Did you use the identifications I gave you?"

"Of course, don't worry, Kol," Charlotte replied to him. She knew those weren't cheap identifications he had gotten for her, especially if they would have a social security number that was valid. She didn't even want to know how that was possible.

"Okay… Are you sure you're okay with settling for this?" He questioned in a tone that she wasn't sure if it was insulting or concerned. That was the thing with him showing up at her workplace unexpectedly. She was torn between being annoyed with him and a little touched that he cared to some degree how she was doing.

"For now," Charlotte said honestly. It wasn't what she envisioned doing for the rest of her immortal life, but she was content with it for now. "Believe it or not," She smirked at him then. "I don't need to take over the world to be happy, Kol."

A grin tugged up on the corners of his lips. She tried not to stare at it too much, because then she would be left thinking about that last kiss.

"What does make you happy?" He surprised her with the thoughtful question.

Charlotte's mouth parted as she was caught off guard, not sure how to answer. This certainly wasn't the time or place for such a discussion. "Hey, are you going to order something?" She countered him with a reprimanding tone. She then nodded to the two people behind him. "Or are you going to keep holding up my line?"

Kol didn't bother turning around to look at them. His eyes darted up to the menu above Charlotte's head. He squinted at it a moment before she realized he was playing around. "Right… but what I want isn't on the menu," He smirked at her, his eyes moving up and down.

"Get out!" Charlotte shooed him away, not wanting to know if it was blood, sex, or lord only knows what he was referring to. She reached over the counter to swat at his shoulder.

Kol leant back with a Cheshire grin before heading for the door. Before stepping out of the café, he threw one more glance at her. He saw her shaking her head, biting her lip to hide the smile that threatened to peer through.

"Let me guess," One of the girls she worked up spoke up. Her name was Jennifer, she was an English Lit major trying to help support her way through college at the café. She reminded Charlotte of herself, maybe that's part of the reason why she picked the place too. "Boyfriend?" The blonde smirked at her.

Charlotte let out a laugh and shook her head. "Absolutely not," She continued to laugh, even at the dubious look Jennifer gave her. "More like an overgrown child," Charlotte muttered, catching a parting sight of Kol walking by the front window and down the street.

* * *

Charlotte was glad to find that Kol didn't make a habit of stalking her workplace. Apparently every stereotype about vampires wasn't true, at least the latest ones she's read in young adult novels. It was a nice break to get away from the penthouse a bit. Granted, she didn't exactly work grueling hours and her vampire qualities didn't leave her as tired on her feet as she remembered being as a human.

It was a nice change of pace. She managed to befriend two of the girls from work, Jennifer and Melissa. Honestly, it was nice to have another female to talk to that didn't immediately despise her like Rebekah.

She was working an afternoon towards the end of her first week when she felt a vibrating in her apron pocket. If it wasn't her hyper senses, she wasn't sure she would have heard it. Either way, between orders, she pulled out her phone and saw a new text message. The phone itself was new and admittedly she was still getting used to it. That didn't stop Kol from texting her constantly, mostly just pointless nonsense, even though he knew she was at work.

This time it was a lengthy message with no cheeky greeting or failed attempt at text speak. Instead, it was a list of specific instructions that kind of gave her the chills. What was he watching her or something? She thought. She glanced up and around the café, he wasn't inside that was for sure. At first she debated shooting a response asking him what this was all about, the urgency made her doubt that choice.

Act first, question later, she decided. Shaking her head, she pocketed the phone and grabbed a cup to do as he requested. While she prepared the latte, she glanced towards the front window tables. There was one dark skinned man sitting there. No drink, probably waiting for someone, which wasn't unusual. He was well dressed with jeans and a light sport coat, and quite honestly easy on the eyes.

"One skinny caramel latte, no sugar, on the house," Charlotte declared when she approached his table and set the cup down in front of him assertively.

The man stopped from looking at his phone and moved to her. She tried very hard to keep a stern, emotionless expression, because of the look that he gave her. Oh, Kol was going to get her killed, she thought. She had a feeling this customer wasn't of the everyday variety and giving him what Kol called a girlie drink would only add insult to injury.

He glared at her sharply, taken back by her lack of tact, before he glanced quickly at the cup. That was when he noticed his name written on it.

"Oh, and the terms of the agreement," Charlotte recited almost word for word what Kol told her. "Was for you to come alone."

The hostility eased out of his expression, replaced by intrigued, but still laced with tension. He gave a sigh and then looked past her to nod towards the door. Charlotte turned to see who he was looking at. Two gentlemen in business suits that had been talking about stock trades for the past twenty minutes got up and suddenly left. They both gave a nod to the dark skinned man on their way out. On the other side of Charlotte, a young college student with her laptop and backpack packed up suddenly to follow the other two out.

It left the dark man as the only sitting customer in the place. Jennifer was tending to the ones that had arrived after him in line. Shit, Charlotte thought, was this whole place full of vampires and she didn't even realize it?

"I take you're not the one I was supposed to meet with," The man broke the silence. He had a surprisingly smooth voice with a sophisticated sounding touch to it.

"No," Charlotte shook her head, giving away as little information as possible.

He nodded calmly, moving to wrap his hands around the cup. He didn't actually take a sip of it though. "Did he compel you to come over here?" He asked of her. Truthfully, all he knew was the gender of the person he was supposed to meet with. But maybe he could fish something further out of her.

"No, I wasn't compelled," Charlotte scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. Did she looked like she was compelled?

The man didn't seem bothered though. Instead, he flashed her a white toothed grin that could have been featured on a commercial. "Then tell me," His voice stopped her before she could turn away. He paused to look at her nametag, "Charlotte, what's a beautiful woman like you doing working for him?"

Charlotte shook her head, a little taken back by the compliment. "I don't work for him," She denied, wondering what in the hell was really going on here.

"Great," The man said, the grin growing broader. "Then there's no reason why you can't sit and chat for a little while?" He gestured towards the seat across from him.

Charlotte's eyebrows rose and she sighed. She had to admit that he was smooth about it. "No thanks," Charlotte refused. She pointed to the name above her own on the tag, "I need to get back to the one I do work for."

She gave him a plaster sweet smile before turning back and going to her counter to help Jennifer. She quickly picked up the next order and focused intently on getting the round of cappuccinos. She tried not to give the mystery man too much attention. After a few minutes, she chanced a glance in his direction. She noticed that he was gone and the cup was left untouched on his table. Somehow she doubted his mistrust for the drink had anything to do with her.

It was about an hour later into her shift when Charlotte paused for a few minutes. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She tried to figure out what had happened. Either way, she was going to give Kol an earful about it later. It was by chance when she was checking her phone in her pocket that she noticed a piece of paper that wasn't there before.

It was a white business card. Charlotte frowned at it, first noticing the handwriting on the backside.

_I would love just to talk._

Charlotte raised an eyebrow in surprise at it. She had a feeling who it was without knowing. But how did he get that into her pocket without her noticing? Damn sneaky vampires. She flipped the card over to the front where sure enough there was a name and a phone number. He was persistent, she had to give him that.

_Marcel Gerard_


	17. Generic Midwest

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Traviata, Charlotte getting a job is a coping mechanism. She's overwhelmed and trying to gain any sense of normalcy back, so she's doing that by going to something she's familiar with from her human life. But also, like she said, she's not out to take over the world, she's more of a small town girl type. Mary, I think there's one way that I could take the business card and it's a cliché a lot of writers go with – so I'm doing something a little different, hopefully you'll like it and it doesn't seem too anticlimactic, but things will be getting more intense the next couple of chapters. Thanks Kellie! The Charkol is very addicting. To my anon guests, thanks for the reviews and encouragement. I really appreciate reading them after a long day of work. They make me smile!**

* * *

"_**You were there and you didn't let go." – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Sam Smith – Stay with Me]_

* * *

She thumbed the corner of the business for the thousandth time. It burned on her hand, leaving slightly cuts behind against her palm every time she turned it over. Of course, it wasn't literally, but it weighed on her conscious just as much. When she finished her shift for work, she had it out the entire time she walked home. She debated whether or not to call Marcel.

It was really tempting. This was the first supernatural person other than a Mikaelson she had ever been contacted by. It was a little thrilling, the unknown, but also terrifying because of that reason. It was obvious this would probably anger Kol if he found out about it. Clearly it was going behind his back. But Charlotte, wondered where it would lead her and what she would find out from Marcel. It was just a talk, after all, right?

_Except who shows up at a café with three incognito bodyguards_? Her inner voice thought suspiciously.

That was the one question that caused Charlotte to hesitate the entire way back to the penthouse. Even though her phone was just within her pocket, she had a mile of indecision on her mind. The truth was, she had no idea what type of person was Marcel. Obviously, he was some sort of business contact, but the way everything that went down in the café made her wonder. She knew that Kol was no saint and he could be pretty awful, but what did that make Marcel? Did that make him a good guy or simply someone even worse than Kol?

The truth was she had no idea and a part of her wanted to deal with the devil she knew, rather than the one she didn't.

She still hadn't dialed any numbers when she reached the top of the elevator. With a sigh, she tucked the business card into her pants pocket before going for the penthouse door. She still fully intended on finding out what was going on.

"But does she know I crossed over too?" She heard Kol's voice from the living room while she dropped her jacket and keys on the kitchen counter. Taking a deep breath, she followed it.

"I don't care if you have to go there yourself and hand out rice with the Red Cross, get more information," He ordered, the threat in his tone hidden by the remark. He turned towards Charlotte when he noticed her in the room.

"I've got to go," He murmured, the tension in his brow easing up at the sight of her. "I'll be in touch, Gloria," He bided and hit the end call on his phone. Charlotte remained on the other side of the room with her arms folded over her chest, partly curious at the phone call, but not enough to distract.

"Hello, darling," Kol greeted her easily, taking a step forward.

"Kol," She replied in a tone that clearly told him to cut the shit.

"How was work?" He asked cheekily, despite her tone.

"Fine, great actually," She huffed out sarcastically. "At least, until someone decided to try to run some shady supernatural business deal in my café."

Kol just smirked and gave a half shrug. She really wanted to claw that smirk off his face.

"What the hell was that all about, Kol?" She blurted out impatiently.

"Just an old family friend in town," He replied nonchalantly with a knowing glint in his eyes.

Charlotte's narrowed on him. "Right," she muttered, thinking he had a pretty messed up definition of friends. "Next time you decide to meet one of your _friends_, do at another café. Like literally, any other café in New York City."

Kol snorted slightly at her reaction. "Fair enough," He agreed rather easily. Truthfully, the café was a good place for what it was; public, busy, large front windows and a good vantage point. Either way, he never liked using the same location twice.

Charlotte nodded. "Good," She said tersely, although surprised he agreed so quickly.

"What did Marcellus say to you?" Kol asked, stopping to stand before her and cocking his head with interest.

This time it was Charlotte's turn to shrug. "He just asked if I was compelled or if I worked for you," She said honestly.

"What did you tell him?" He asked quickly.

"Nothing, like you said," Charlotte said. Even though she was telling the truth, she still felt like she wasn't telling enough.

Kol just nodded with thought. "Thank you, Charlotte," He gave sincerely. That was he would need from her in that matter. He moved to step around her and leave the living room.

But her voice stopped him before he disappeared from sight, "Kol."

He turned back to her, curious at her tone of voice. "There's something I should tell you," She admitted. He stepped back into the room, more intrigued by her hesitation and what she was reaching in her jean pocket for.

"He slipped this to me when I wasn't looking," She held out the business card for him to take.

The frown stilled as he turned the card over, glancing at both sides. His jaw locked tightly and Charlotte could sense just as displeased he was, but she wasn't sure if it was at her or Marcel. He was silent a long minute and Charlotte fidgeted with her hands while she waited.

"Did you call him?" Kol finally asked in a low tone, looking up at her.

"No," Charlotte confessed frankly.

Even then, he stared at her a long moment, scrutinizing her body language and facial reaction. He thought about compelling her for the truth, just to be sure, but opted against it. She may have been an aspiring actress, but she wasn't that good. He didn't sense any dishonesty in her.

He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He should have seen this coming. He should have known Marcel would explore any option he can, truthfully, that is what Kol would have done too. "Well, then, it looks like I'm going to have to change up my tactic next time I meet him," He declared.

"I'm going to need you with me," He said to Charlotte.

"You want my help?" Her eyebrows rose in disbelief, not sure what she had to offer. However, her curiosity was winning over her reason.

Kol nodded.

"Well, okay… I guess," Charlotte mumbled, figuring if things went wrong, at least Kol was on her side.

His mouth picked up into a lazy grin. He almost turned to leave her in the living room, but something else was clearly bothering him. It took him a few moments to vocalize it. His eyes kept going back to the business card. The handwriting was innocent, but he knew that it wasn't and it would have only been the beginning.

"Why didn't you call him?" He wondered aloud. Charlotte's head jerked back slightly in surprise at that question and caused him to continue, "I mean, you could have called him and I wouldn't have known…"

Charlotte was a little flabbergasted that he would ask, but it was something she had thought about. She could have easily called one and not told the other. It was manipulative, but didn't settle with her right.

"I didn't want to do that to you," She admitted honestly in a small voice.

It caused Kol to cock his head at her, trying to understand.

"You were there, Kol," Charlotte remembered what it was like on the Other Side. He was the first one that saw her and tried to speak to her. "You were there when no one else was," She added on meekly. "And you didn't let go."

Sure, he acted like a royal ass at times, but he had been there more than he hadn't.

His expression fell into wonder, slowly pocketing the business card. Her sense of loyalty to him awed him. It was the type of loyalty that his brother killed for and craved through misguided means. At the same time, it made his insides twist to think about it. He wondered if she would still be so loyal to him even she remembered everything that he did to her.

But today, she didn't and he would take that for what it was worth.

He raised his hand to her face, brushing some hair away from it. Her hair always seemed to be a little frizzy and uncontrollable. "Charlotte…" He whispered her name gently, but didn't know what to say. So he acted instead, he leant forward swiftly and pressed a kiss to her lips. Her stilling indicated her surprise by that action.

He meant to keep it brief, but then two hands at the back of his neck stopped him. Charlotte rolled up on her toes and pulled him back towards her. She felt a slight indiscernible grunt against her lips before he kissed her back more hungrily. She threw caution to the wind, especially when she felt his arms move around her. He pulled her against his chest and one hand moved up to the back of her hair, weaving into her locks at the base of her neck.

A slight tug caused her to gasp, which Kol took advantage of. Her hands held onto his shoulders as his tongue slipped past her lips. She hadn't meant for the kiss to become lewd and want, but the craving for his touch was made stronger with each sensation, each moment she felt the warmth of his body against her and reveled in his scent and taste on her senses.

A jarring ringing interrupted the moment, repeating several times from Kol's pocket. Charlotte felt him let out a vague growl before starting to ease back from the kiss. He stole a few more pecks against her lower lip before a hand blindly fumbled into his pocket for his cell phone.

He pulled it out and Charlotte stole a glance at the display screen. Speak of the devil, she thought.

"I should answer this," Kol stated, although he did sound reluctant, which caused Charlotte to grin.

"Okay," She nodded, understanding. She tried to take a step back from him, but he kept one arm firmly around her waist.

"No," He protested, not maliciously. "Stay. Listen," He ordered, or requested, Charlotte wasn't sure which.

A little confused and stunned, she just nodded. Kol took a second to clear his throat before picking up at the call on the fourth ring. He brought the phone to his ear. "Hello Marcellus. I have to say I'm disappointed in you. The terms of our meeting were explicitly clear," He greeted smoothly in a venom laced tone.

As Charlotte listened to him, her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Not from his words, but the way he said them. As soon as he cleared his throat, the English accent she was familiar with disappeared into something that sounded like a smooth generic Midwest American accent.

Kol threw a wink at her and smirked while he listened to Marcel's excuse.

"What the –" Charlotte began to mouth silently. Kol threw a finger in front of his mouth from the phone to remind her to be quiet. She clamped her mouth shut and just nodded.

It sounded like his voice, but at the same time it didn't. Of course being a thousand years old, she should have figured he would learn different dialects and languages. But it was another thing to actually hear it.

As they continued to talk, Charlotte relaxed, feeling hyper aware of how close she still was to Kol. The hand on the small of her back moved up and down a bit idly. She eased into keeping hers looped around him while listening to the phone conversation.

If she had been dishonest with him, she would have been a lot more nervous about what Marcel could possibly say. She would have had to worry if what Marcel said matched up with what she said. Now, she was even happier she had been truthful. It allowed her to relax her head against his shoulder, the Original grinned down at the affection briefly but kept talking. His hand on her back moved up to stroke her hair while he listened to Marcel hem and haw a bit.

With her head tucked against his shoulder, Charlotte listened to Marcel's voice distantly over the rumblings of Kol's chest and the sluggish heartbeat she could hear underneath it. Her focus was only stirred back to the conversation at one distinctive point.

"Come now, Marcellus," Kol taunted cheerily. "We both want the same thing."

"And what's that?" Marcel's voice was distorted by the cellular device, but still suspicious.

Kol responded as if it was the most obvious and simple task in the world, "Elijah Mikaelson and Klaus Mikaelson to suffer."


	18. Shark in the Water

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! I apologize for the delay, life has been hectic with spring festivals and honestly I was really upset with the news about Bloodlines. I got a lot of questions about directions of the plot and I'm sorry I won't be able to please everyone, but I still hope you enjoy the story anyway. I'm honestly tired of the MFG so this story will not go to MF, but it will be mentioned here and there. To my new readers, thank you so much! I love getting the reviews and hearing how much you enjoy the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Any little feedback I truly appreciate. I'm sure some of you will hate Kol this chapter, but I believe in karma!**

* * *

"_**Don't ever try to undermine me." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[V V Brown – Shark in the Water]_

* * *

Charlotte sighed and turned her body in the full length mirror. The fit of the dress was fine, maybe even perfect if she dared to say it. Of course she had been the one that picked it out when they were at Macy's, but she still felt uncomfortable in it. The red dress had a structured bodice to it. The skirt was appropriately long enough, but still showed off her thighs.

"Remind me again how this is supposed to help?" Charlotte questioned allowed, thinking she was probably also uncomfortable with the Original openly staring at her while he waited for her to finish getting ready.

"Marcel thinks you can be a source of information, so he'll use whatever method he can to get it – usually he goes for charm," Kol explained with a slight scowl on his face while leaning casually against the frame of the doorway into her bedroom.

"And the dress will help that?" Charlotte wondered dubiously, thinking it would send the opposite message.

Kol gave a nonchalant shrug with a smirk. "We're going to let him know that you're so far off limits it would be suicidal of him to pursue you," He declared confidently.

Charlotte frowned slightly at that. She wasn't sure if she shared the same wicked delight that Kol did.

* * *

Marcel sighed after taking a sip of his coffee. The afternoon was blessed with a bright sun and a few clouds. It made for a good day to be sitting out on a café patio – a different café than the one he was at before – and enjoying a cup of coffee. Except he wasn't here for casual reasons and this cup of coffee cost a little more than he cared for.

He checked his watch. The table he sat at was still empty. He looked up at the crowd of people walking by on the other side of the patio fence. He turned in his seat to look behind him, trying to see if by some chance there would be someone he could recognize.

When he turned back in his seat, he froze. The opposite seat was now occupied by a woman in a red dress. She had her hair pulled over one shoulder in loose waves. He did a good job of hiding his surprise. His eyes darted up and down her briefly before smiling.

"Charlotte," He recalled her name easily enough, earning a slight nod from her. She had her hands folded calmly in her lap with one leg crossed over the other.

"I must say, the work uniform doesn't do you nearly enough justice," Marcel complimented her smoothly.

A grin picked up on her face at the words, it didn't quite reach her eyes. She kept her mouth shut though. She was a lot more nervous than she let onto and preferred to say as little as possible. It didn't seem to bother the vampire as much.

She could already see the other figure approaching him from behind.

"I was beginning to get the impression you weren't going to call me," Marcel said, trying to prompt a response from her. The smile on his face was pleasant, but it made Charlotte wonder what was beneath the surface.

"I wasn't going to," She admitted flatly.

"Why not?" Marcel cocked his head, losing a little of the smile.

"Because she's already spoken for, mate," Kol interrupted the conversation. Marcel paled a little when he saw the Original approach the table. He had on his classic smirk while he pulled up a chair next to Charlotte, setting the two of them directly opposite from Marcel.

"Well… I'll be damned," It took quite a bit for Marcel to recover from his shock. Truthfully, it was a trip to see Kol at all in modern clothing. "Kol Mikaelson," He earned a grin from the Original at the acknowledgement.

Kol threw an arm around Charlotte's chair, causing her to sit up a little straighter. "Darling," He greeted her and leant into her cheek. The brief kiss caused her cheeks to flare, but not quite as red as her dress. His lips lingered against the shell of her ear, whispering very faintly, "Relax." She was way too stiff.

Charlotte let out a deep breath at the command and Kol leant back in his seat before diverting his attention to Marcel.

"Word is on the street is that you were staked by a hunter," Marcel said, still in disbelief.

"By one of the Five, no less," Kol confirmed coolly. Charlotte didn't have it in her to taunt him about that, partly because she was distracted by the arm on the back of her chair and the other hand placed on top of her knee. _That_ was what he meant by off limits? Part of her wanted to claw the smirk off his face then and there.

"And yet here you are," Marcel shook his head.

Kol just gave a shrug. "It's funny how the past comes back to haunt you," He said vaguely, not particularly wanting to go into the details of how you came back.

Marcel nodded. "And is that what you want to do to Elijah and Klaus?" He remembered the words on the phone and he found it hard to believe.

The skepticism was obvious and it caused Kol to take a break to explain himself.

"Just because you die, Marcellus, doesn't mean you disappear," He said. "I saw Niklaus swear revenge and he had none. I saw Elijah sympathize and comfort my murderer. And then I saw them go to New Orleans make a mockery of what it means to be family, forgetting their home and where their real family died." The acid was biting with each word he spoke.

Marcel didn't dare to agree or disagree with him. "What about Rebekah?" He wondered, trying not to show his bias towards her. Even Kol knew he had a bit of a soft spot for her.

"I see no reason for her to come to any harm in my plan," Kol said dismissively. No, he knew he needed Marcel's cooperation and he was less likely to get it by going after Rebekah. Also, at the end of the day, he knew Rebekah would suffer because there was one thing she hated more than anything else in the world – being alone – and she would once Elijah and Klaus were gone.

"And what's your plan?" Marcel's interest was by far piqued at this point. The reason it had been so easy for Marcel to meet with Kol was because of his recent exile from New Orleans. Without a doubt, if Elijah and Klaus were gone, he could have his home city back.

"It's quite simple really," Kol casually. As he spoke, he moved his hand on Charlotte's knee up her thigh. Immediately, her eyes zeroed in on the action suspiciously. She felt her stomach in knots. She was used to the casual touches in the penthouse, but it was different this time. It was too public, too many eyes on them and the tension was too much.

The hand moved under the hem of her dress. That was when her hand wrapped around his wrist with a vice grip. She kept her eyes up with cool determination.

Marcel's eyes darted between the two of them. They were both looking at him as if nothing happened, but he heard the crack. He just didn't know what it was.

"I'm going to take away everything precious to Klaus," Kol declared after taking his hand away from Charlotte's leg. The bones in his wrist snapped back into place and he flexed his fingers slowly under the table. "Starting with that so called bayou family of his…"

"And New Orleans?" Marcel wondered if he would just being trading the rule of one Original for another.

Kol just shrugged. "Have it, burn it, I really don't care about that city," He sneered. Honestly, there were bigger and better cities to covet than that little cesspool.

"And how are you going to do this?" Marcel proceeded, weighing Kol's words carefully and keeping straight to business.

"Gut instinct tells me to kill Niklaus," Kol stated at first, he could see the deepening frown on Marcel's face. He glanced between the older vampire and to Charlotte. "However, that course of action isn't an option," He remarked, thinking of how many vampires would drop dead overnight, including Marcel. He wasn't sure if Charlotte would, but he wasn't interested in risking it either. "So I'll settle for desiccating the bastard."

"How?" Marcel interrupted. "He's a hybrid. He doesn't starve like you and I do."

"A spell of course," Kol replied with a slight sneer. "If a couple of teenagers in Virginia can manage it, I'm sure we'll do just fine… with some witches."

Marcel quirked an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Witches, huh?" A grin appeared. "I know some of witches in the Quarter that would be happy to see him go…"

"Good," Kol nodded.

"But I don't know of any spell that can do that," Marcel pointed out. They would have done that by now. He would have gotten Davina to do it in a heartbeat.

"Oh there is," Kol gave knowingly. "It was used against Mikael for twenty years before he was awaken again. You'll have to go to Mystic Falls and get the Bennett grimoire."

"Why should I go?" Marcel protested, not liking the sound of being sent on an errand like a messenger boy. Again, bossed around by one Original and now another.

"Because you're going to need my help when the times comes," Kol threatened darkly. "To put Klaus down and dagger Elijah."

"Any human could dagger Elijah," Marcel pointed out challengingly.

Kol just snorted and laughed, which caused Charlotte to jump a little bit next to him. It was a twisted experience for her, listening to them make murder plans while she sat close enough to smell Kol's cologne and feel his fingers tracing lightly on her shoulder.

"You're not going to use a human," Kol called out his bluff cockily. They were too weak and fickle to risk it.

Marcel didn't say anything, he kept a cool gaze. The two males eyed each other up, to see if either one would crack. Kol was more at easy than Marcel.

"So you'll go to Mystic Falls, get the grimoire and your witches together – then we'll desiccate the hybrid father, kill the mother and child, and dagger the uncle," Kol smirked wickedly. He waved a hand lightly in the air, adding on, "Not necessarily in that order, but the others will fall once Klaus does."

"Whoa, no," Charlotte suddenly protested, her eyes growing wide. She had been silent, as she had been told to just go along with it, until this point. She couldn't sit by and say nothing. Both of the men looked to her, Kol with particularly sharp and lethal eyes.

"You're not killing any babies," Charlotte said, shaking her head at how messed up that sounded. Kol's eyes narrowed increasingly and she felt the hand tighten on her shoulder.

"If you want to punish Klaus, and," Charlotte struggled on the name, she looked to Marcel.

"Hayley," He supplied for her quietly.

"Hayley, fine. Go ahead," Charlotte waved a hand in the air. "But don't punish a child for the sins of its parents," She shook her head. She didn't even know the entire backstory behind Marcel, but she knew what that meant to Kol.

The Original clenched his teeth together tightly while he glared at Charlotte, weighing her words. The silence at the table was unbearable following her protest.

"Fine," Kol hissed out.

"We'll desiccate the father, kill the mother, dagger the uncle…" He revised his statement, adding on with a toothy predatory smile. "And send the baby on its way to foster care where it'll never even hear of the word supernatural. Okay?"

The question sounded more like a threat with the way Kol said it, as if daring her to interrupt again.

Charlotte didn't think the foster care system was a much better alternative, but she didn't have the liberty to point that out. She just swallowed thickly and nodded, letting Kol and Marcel get back to their conversation.

They were silent at first, Marcel's gaze darted quickly back and forth between the two. He hid his thoughts behind a hand over his mouth.

Finally, Kol broke the silence. "Get the grimoire and we'll meet again," He cued the end of their conversation. His temper was short.

Marcel bid a few parting words to them, but he was mostly left with a lot to think about. Kol stood up and followed a hand out to Charlotte. Hesitantly, she took it and he led them away from the café.

* * *

They walked down a few streets and another block before Kol broke the silence. He did so by breaking her wrist in a similar manner that she had done to him under the table.

Charlotte led out a cry and gasped at the sudden sharp pain. Kol didn't let go of her wrist. "Do you think that was cute what you did back there?" He tugged her against his side to hiss in her ear. To an average person, they looked like a dovey couple going for a walk.

"Screw you," Charlotte glared back at him, her voice still hissing from the pain. "_Just going with it_ doesn't mean you get to cop a feel."

Kol stopped and turned her to face him. His height loomed over her, but she stubbornly kept her chin up against him. "You still don't get it, do you?" He sneered in a condescending tone.

Charlotte cocked her head slightly at what he meant. She didn't get a chance to ask before he pushed her back, nearly blurring them into a nearby alley out of plain sight. She gasped a groan when he pushed her back against the brick wall roughly.

"Don't you ever try to undermine me like that again," He warned her with a growl in his words. The breaking of his wrist, he could let that go, almost find it endearing. However, her outburst was out of line and made him look wavering. He couldn't allow that, especially in front of a younger vampire like Marcel.

Charlotte wasn't having it though. He could push her around physically, but he wasn't going to order her. "I told you before, Kol," She glared back at him stubbornly. "I'm not your doll to toy with." She didn't like dressing up like this for his own ego and she wasn't going to tiptoe around it either.

Rather than raise his voice and yell at her, his lowered in a manner that she found chilling. "And what makes you so sure of that?" He challenged. The glint of his eyes were exceptionally black because of the shadows of the alley and the wicked promise in them.

She opened her mouth to say something, but gasped more at the sight of the veins moving around his eyes and the fangs exposing themselves.

"Kol, no, please!" She panicked, trying to push him away with the one free hand she had. "No!" Her voice rose when he descended on her neck and she let a strangled noise out at the piercing of her flesh.

It hurt, it definitely stung. It was a strange feeling, having someone else's teeth in your flesh. But it wasn't something she was unfamiliar with. For a brief few morbid moments, she stopped. A dark part of her mind marveled at the fact it didn't hurt as much as the first time she remembered. It was an odd sensation, feeling the blood pulled from her veins. It hurt like a dull ache reverberating through her veins.

No it wasn't as bad as dying the first time, but this was taking longer. He was taking more blood than her attacker did.

"Kol! Please stop," She began to beg when she felt her limps getting heavier. She tried to push her hand against his shoulder a second bout of panic, but it was a vain attempt. He shrugged it off easily and clung to her body firmer. She could hear the animalistic noises from deep within his throat.

"Please stop, don't," Her head started to lull. She was having trouble focusing on the tuft of Kol's hair blocking her vision. Her gaze swayed up towards the sky when she realized her head was rolling back. "No, no," She mumbled, too weak to keep her arms up anymore.

His hand on her wrist let go to hold her body up as her head rolled to the side. Her vision failed and she slumped over.


	19. Self Worth

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Now I'm feeling less ill, here's another chapter to make up for the delay in the last one! Karma will get Kol back next chapter, but here's a little more of Rebekah! I'm glad you guys understood where Kol was coming from last chapter. He's definitely in for some character development, I wouldn't say he has no redeeming qualities – his humanity is starting to peek through. In the meantime, we haven't really seen Charlotte address her grief. Anyway, please leave your thoughts!**

* * *

"_**Nothing makes a man more insecure than a woman with a sense of self-worth." – Rebekah Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Sara Bareilles - Gravity]_

* * *

She felt the foreign moisture on her lips. Reflexively, her lip disappeared and her tongue darted to it. Once the taste of blood filled her senses, her lips sought out more. The burning in her throat was like a liquid fire, beyond anything she was familiar with. It only took a moment before her teeth sank into the blood bag.

"About bloody time," A British voice snipped out.

Charlotte opened her eyes, finding she was lying on a bed. Sitting in front of her was not Kol, but rather Rebekah. Confusion marred Charlotte while she stared up at the blonde Original. She sat in a chair next to her bed, which Charlotte knew was her bedroom based on the walls, and held the blood bag for the young vampire. Her limps still felt heavy and tense.

"A few more hours without blood and you would have started to desiccate," Rebekah commented lightly while the plastic bag was reduced to a shriveled raisin.

Charlotte's eyes widened in acknowledgment and worry, but she didn't say anything. No, the soothing taste of the blood was too much of a relief to pause even for a moment.

Rebekah pulled the empty first bag away and offered up a second one. Charlotte shamelessly bit her teeth into the plastic, not bothering with the cap. By then, she was able to hold the bag herself.

"Although, I do have to wonder," Curiosity finally got the best of Rebekah. "What did you do that set my brother off so badly?"

It wasn't until she was half way through the second bag that she felt like she had enough of a voice to answer. "I dared to have an opinion," Charlotte muttered sourly between sips.

"Ah, yes," Rebekah hummed out while inspecting a finger nail. "Nothing makes a man more insecure than a woman with a sense of self-worth." She shook her head, knowing that feeling far too well with her family.

"I didn't say I had that," Charlotte disagreed quietly.

Rebekah stopped looking at her fingers, her eyes narrowed briefly on Charlotte before rolling them with a sigh. "Please don't tell me you believe that you deserved what he did to you after all, because I really don't want to listen to that," She scowled.

Charlotte shook her head, glancing out the window casually. It was nighttime now. She had been out for a while. "It has nothing to do with your brother," She said.

"Then what is it?" Rebekah had to wonder at that point. The young girl was remarkably calm for having just bled dry, but her demeanor radiated defeat.

Charlotte grunted slightly, pushing herself up a bit on the pillows. She still had on the same red dress and black heels, like she had just been discarded on the top of her bed. Maybe red wasn't her color. Good things didn't happen to her when she wore red.

"When I was human," Charlotte recalled longingly. "I dreamt of being so many things." Some day she wanted to be a dancer, an actress, maybe find a cute boy, get married, have a family; all those things. "One day I wanted to be just a few of those things," She knew she couldn't have it all, but even a few would have been a good life. "But when I died, I had none of them…"

Her grip tightened on the plastic bag in her hand. "All I amounted to," She glared at the traces of the maroon liquid inside of it. "was a quick fix for some maniac depressive asshole," She hissed.

Rebekah's eyebrow rose, but didn't disagree with her. That was certainly one way to describe Damon Salvatore.

"I thought maybe that would change now… Now that I'm a vampire," Charlotte thought wistfully. But she let out a sigh and shook her head. She really thought she was becoming something better, someone who can stand up for herself. "But it hasn't." It was just a different asshole this time, she realized.

The defensive hostility that Rebekah naturally kept about her started to ease up. Her expression fell somberly. The girl that had brushed off her critical comments since the moment she arrived didn't seem so strong and infallible right now.

"I think that's why the feeding bothers me so much," Charlotte continued to think aloud, too exhausted and depleted to give a damn about what Rebekah thought of her. "I know I should get used it and maybe someday I will," She said. She knew what the urges of the monster within her beckoned for. She couldn't hold out forever.

"But every time I see those girls he kills," Charlotte stared off aimlessly. Kol was the worst, he went through them more than Rebekah did. He was the most indiscreet. The bodies had to be cleaned out pretty frequently. "I look at those girls and I see myself," Charlotte realized.

"I wasn't supposed to be a vampire," Charlotte stated, looking up at Rebekah. The blonde almost looked sympathetic, stunned in silence. Charlotte said it, but not necessarily in a way that she resented being one. "I wasn't supposed to die and I wasn't supposed to live again," She had just been a quick fix. "I was an accident… No one wanted to save me."

For a few brief moments, she was envious of Rebekah. While it was brutal what happened to her and her siblings, how they became this way, they had each other. "No one wanted me to live forever," Charlotte pointed out. Misguided, but supposedly their parents had done it out of love.

Charlotte wanted to cry, but she was too dehydrated to shed a tear. "My purpose was purposeless… And until the day I feel like that I'm worth something more than this," She held up the empty bag. "I think those girls will always be me."

The silence in the room was oppressive, but Charlotte ran out of things to say. Apparently Rebekah wasn't the best at offering comfort either. The downcast expression on her face was more than Charlotte asked for though.

"I can't excuse what my brother did," Rebekah said finally. "But how about I get a few more blood bags…" She suggested instead with a coy grin. "And then we go to a bar, find some cute college boys to buy us drinks and forget about what he did."

Charlotte had to admit the idea of going to a bar didn't sound too appealing, but she was shocked at the offer. It was the closest Rebekah gotten to extending an olive branch to her since she got to New York. How could she refuse?

"Okay," Charlotte nodded gently.

Rebekah brushed off her jeans briefly before standing up. Charlotte watched the Original leave through the open doorway. Part of Rebekah was surprised and the other part of her wasn't when she stepped into the hallway. Leaning against the wall outside her door, but not within sight, was the other Original responsible for this mess.

Rebekah had to admit she was rather surprised to see Charlotte in the state she was when Kol came home carrying her. Now, even hours later, he was still dressed the same. He leant against the wall with his hands in his pockets. At least he had the decency to look guilty about it, she thought. Maybe even he cared too, but she wasn't going to give him that much credit.

"Congratulations, brother," Rebekah didn't bother lowering her voice as she folded her arms over her chest. She didn't care if Charlotte heard her or not. "You managed to royally screw this one up," She pointed out bluntly with an unsympathetic smile.

The smile wasn't because of Charlotte's distress though. "And this time you can't blame me, Elijah or Nik…" She explained. "No, this one you have no one to blame but yourself." The only unclear part was whether Rebekah was referring to this one incident or screwing up Charlotte as an individual.

If Kol had any snarky retort or insult, he held it back. He just picked his head up and glared at Rebekah for a long moment. There wasn't any humor in his eyes over her remark, but he wasn't lashing out either, so it was unusual for him. All he said was, "I know."

Not getting much of a rise out of him, Rebekah just let out a soft 'Hmpfh' and kept walking down the hallway towards the stairs.

* * *

She was lying on her side when he stepped into the room. She had her hands tucked under a pillow and her ankles locked together. She looked better, but not by much. At least she looked like she was alive now, but she was still unusual pale. Her eyes were closed, the exhaustion evident on her expression with the faint petulant frown and the way her shoulders hunched together.

"Charlotte," He said her name once he approached the bed. The name was a soft whisper, but it didn't elicit the same response it did the last time. Charlotte opened her eyes and the frown remained ever present.

"Haven't you done enough?" She meant for it to come out more biting than it was. Her voice was hoarse and tired.

In contrast to the Kol she saw in the alley, this side of him was subdued, but more expressive. She could see more of him now. It was unsettling how more human he looked. It made her think there might be genuine guilt at the way he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Not on the chair Rebekah sat, she noticed, he still had no concept of personal space.

His hand reached out to touch her shoulder, warm and calloused. "I'm sorry," He said to her gently.

Her brow knitted together tightly at him. She looked at him a little harder and more clearly. "For what exactly?" She had to ask, not understanding where the apology was coming from – simply because they didn't usually come from him.

"Not stopping," He said, his hand moving up and down along her arm as he did. "I lost control," He admitted in a low voice. He refrained from shaking his head in disbelief at it, too.

"You lost control?" Charlotte repeated dubiously, staring at the thousand year old vampire. "Kol," Her voice was firmer this time. "Don't insult me more than you already have," She warned. As if she could believe he would lose control at his age.

"I mean it," He insisted instead of taunting. She almost wish it was some sort of prank because she could handle that better than vulnerability. "I don't know what it was," Kol ran a hand through his hair in aggravation. It had been so long since he got lost in the blood like that. It was just so sweet, so warm and so consuming. "I couldn't stop it," He hadn't wanted to stop it, truthfully. "I didn't even realize it, until you were…"

His voice trailed off and Charlotte understood. It was alarming for him, coming around after a haze of lust. That time the dead girl in his arms wasn't just another mortal.

Charlotte frowned as she studied him. She couldn't see a reason for why he would be so insistent that he simply lost control. It didn't make sense, she didn't see the angle. She had trouble believing there wasn't an angle, but with given nothing else, she had to take it for what it was.

"Is that it?" She questioned in a cold and flat tone.

Kol cocked his head slightly at her, confused at the detached look in her eyes.

"You're only sorry for not stopping?" Charlotte clarified. "And not ever starting in the first place."

Kol's mouth hung open and his hand stopped moving on her arm. The hesitating silence was telling enough for Charlotte when he said nothing.

She let out a deep exhale and rolled on her side, to put her back to him. She tucked her head firmly against the pillow, clutching to it tightly. She was glad he couldn't see how tightly her hands were clenched.

He felt his stomach sink when she turned her back to him. He lingered even then, wondering when it was that he began to care so damn much. Why she did matter? She was ordinary, average. He told himself these things over and over again, but he was back to this again. With a sigh, he leant down and planted a kiss gently at the top of her shoulder.

He noticed the way she kept her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Regardless of that, he left her with one parting whisper, "You're worth more to me than you'll ever know." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and stood up. Without looking back, he left the room in quick strides. Hearing what she said to Rebekah had caused his chest to squeeze more, thinking back to the Other Side and the things he took away from her.

He didn't see the way Charlotte picked her head up and watched him leave the room.


	20. Just An Infant

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! There's another short chapter. I'm still feeling ill – which I suppose was bound to happen being an impoverished foreign country with food of questionable origins, so I'm missing home terribly and any words of encouragement mean a lot to me right now. I didn't feel up to writing Rebekah/Charlotte's night out, maybe I'll revisit it later but I hope you enjoy this nonetheless! Most writers take this cliché and stick it to the OC, but I thought I would do it a little differently have Kol suffer the consequences. Twin of a sister, I'm glad you're giving this story a chance even though you don't like Kol, thank you so much! Traviata, I totally understand your analysis and agree, the reason I write Kol this way is because of the fact he was in a coffin for most of the women's rights/liberation movements so yes, he's very "traditional". I've gotten more questions about Charlotte leaving, if she was to leave, now isn't the time for it.**

* * *

"_**You may be an Original, but now you're infant." – Rebekah Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Collective Soul - Shine]_

* * *

To say she didn't think about leaving would be a lie. The urge to pack her bags and leave was one of the first things that came to her that night. However, she realized the suitcases would be full of clothing that she didn't buy herself. She would have to use an identification that she didn't get to buy a ticket to go anywhere. Furthermore, she realized she didn't have the slightest clue of where to go.

The thought of leaving was dispelled the further Charlotte thought about it. While what Kol did to her wasn't forgivable, he had done so many other things for her already. Plus, she went out that night with Rebekah to a couple of bars like she promised. True to her word, it had been a distraction from what Kol did and the meeting with Marcel. It was clear that the blonde had no idea who they had met with, but Charlotte didn't bother bringing it up.

After a couple of drinks, Charlotte loosened up and surprised Rebekah by actually being able to have some fun. They were able to wrap a few boys around their finger at the bar. At one point, Rebekah disappeared for a bit with one of them. Charlotte didn't bother herself, while she was willing to try to forget everything, she wasn't willing to go that far. Charlotte was able to handle her own with shots, singing obnoxiously loud to the music with the crowd and even sparing a bit of dancing with Rebekah. She wasn't one of those girls uncomfortably awkward and shy in crowds.

Hell, she had died at a frat party after all.

After that night, Charlotte somehow endeared herself a little to Rebekah. She wouldn't go as far as to say they were best friends, painting toenails and gossiping about boys with each other. However, the blonde stopped snubbing at her mere presence and even sent a few sly, knowing smirks now and then.

Kol was another story. They avoided each other like the plague the following couple of days. Admittedly, it wasn't that hard to do in the large penthouse. The time they were home, they were usually on separate floors. However, most times, Charlotte actually was out between working and then one day that Rebekah insisted she needed a second female opinion for clothes shopping.

* * *

He fidgeted absently while he watched her move through the positions in a spin. It wasn't the first time that he watched her dance in the early morning. She was rather used it to by this point, but it was the first time he watched her since the incident in the alley. Kol leant against the entryway of the living room in his morning clothes; a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants.

He kept his hands buried in his pockets to hide the twitching of them. It was hard to watch her in the tight yoga pants and the tank top that exposed far too much flesh and hugged those curves. But yet, he didn't want to look away. He watched the way her neck craned, his eyes zeroing in on the tendons and the veins beneath. He watched the way she lifted her right leg, seeing the way her muscles grew taunt. He still remembered what it felt like to have those thighs wrapped around his waist.

Kol shook his head and stepped out of the living room when he saw her bent over to stretch. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up further while he went to the kitchen. He could hear Rebekah in there already, cooking some eggs and slicing open a grapefruit for breakfast.

Rebekah turned from the stove and gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement. He only gave her a half grin, almost grimace, while he pulled a blood bag out of the fridge. It seemed like she was taking it easier on him lately, but maybe that's because things were tense enough between him and Charlotte as it was.

Kol pulled up a seat at the kitchen island, pouring the blood bag into a coffee mug before opening the morning newspaper. He had to get his mind off of her. He tried to busy it by finding something of interest in the international news. So many civil wars and crisis broke out during his coffin time and it was hard to keep up on what became of all his assets.

In the meantime, Rebekah was watching him like a hawk. She was trying to figure it out. She grabbed her plate and sat on the opposite end of the island. The last few days, he had been increasingly irritable. He wasn't getting more tolerable as time passed since the incident, it was the opposite. The bodies were piling up, even the service that cleared them out made a comment. The service was of compelled humans that worked for several established vampire residents in New York City.

Rebekah's eyes narrowed on him thoughtfully while she took a bite of her food. No, he was avoiding her and Charlotte – for good reason. He was moody. Even now, she noticed the way his fingers tapped against the counter anxiously. His eyes darted about more frequently than normal, like if he was waiting for someone to get a jump on him. He was about as jittery as a drug –

"Oh my god," Rebekah blurted out when he dawned on her. Kol's eyes flickered up to her briefly but he didn't react much, not interested in her melodramatics.

"You're addicted," Rebekah stated in disbelief, finally recognizing the symptoms.

"Excuse me?" Kol drew the words out slowly, his eyebrows rising. He looked up from the newspaper.

"Charlotte," Rebekah clarified, neither one of them paying attention to the music stopping from the living room. "You're addicted to her blood," She pointed her fork at him. "That's why you've been staring at her like a market special steak lately."

Kol's expression twisted with a mix of shock and dismissive disbelief. "Don't be ridiculous, Bekah," He shook his head.

"No, it makes sense, actually," Rebekah began to smile in an amused way. "You did drain her dry, you drank a lot of her blood."

"So? I'm an Original," Kol waved his hand dismissively. Even with the wave, Rebekah could see how much his hands were shaking. "We're a thousand years old, we don't get addicted to other vampire's blood."

"You _were_ a thousand years old," Rebekah disagreed, stressing the word meaningfully.

That caused Kol's expression to somber up quickly and his eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. She was enjoying this far too much for his liking, but he wanted to know what she meant by that.

"But then you died," Rebekah smirked. "You may be an Original, but you only just came back to life. You're an infant now, barely a month old."

Kol's expression fell. Rebekah could swear she saw the vampire begin to pale.

He stared at her long and hard. If it had been Klaus telling him this, he would just assume the hybrid was trying to antagonize him. He would doubt there was much basis to the claim. Rebekah did like to antagonize him, but she didn't do it over nothing. She always had to have something legitimate to dangle in front of him.

"Do you…" Kol stuttered, he actually stuttered thinking about it. "Do you think that could be true?" He had witnessed the effects of blood addiction with other vampires. He knew the dependency that came with it, but also what it took to get off of it. Either way, it was unpleasant and it never occurred to him that it could happen to him.

Rebekah gave a shrug of her shoulders. "It certainly would explain your lack of self-control lately," She muttered between bites of her food.

Any other day Kol would have scowled and dismissed accusations of having no control. However, he could really claim to have any control after losing it with Charlotte. Admittedly, he did feel different since he came back when it came to feeding. Everything was more vivid. It was different, but also the same. He knew the bloodlust and he was familiar with it, but it was much fiercer than before he passed.

If he was addicted to her blood, maybe that also explained the unsolicited concern over her wellbeing after draining her. He had paced for hours outside her bedroom that night. The sickening feeling in his stomach unsettled him when he saw her pale, lifeless expression – even though he _knew_ she would be okay.

"Kol," Her voice filled the room in a soft calling.

Just by looking at her expression, he knew that she heard most, if not all, of the conversation. She was standing in the entryway of the room with a stunned expression. She looked back and forth between Rebekah's smug smirk and Kol appearing as if he had seen a ghost.

"What's she talking about?" She asked, looking to him for answers.

Kol clenched his teeth together tightly while looking at her. His eyes darted up and down her naturally, noticing the gleam of sweat along her skin, the curve of the top of her breasts and the way her chest rose and fell. In the back of his throat, he felt the salivating and he knew he was in trouble.


	21. Real Estate Wager

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! To answer the guest question, I'm currently doing work study in Siberia, so I'm definitely missing the comforts of the USA. I'm glad you guys liked the addiction twist, it was foreshadowed earlier in chapter 15. Of course Kol never considered the fact he could be prone to it too. Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter!**

* * *

"_**Are you two seriously wagering on this?" – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Theory of a Deadman – Outta My Head]_

* * *

"How does that even work?" Charlotte blanched after taking a sip of a water bottle from the fridge. The idea of Kol being addicted to her blood just surreal, in a creepy and terrifying sort of way. The last thing she wanted after the other day was for him to be craving for more.

He was up on his feet by this point, pacing in agitation in the kitchen.

"Simple, really," Rebekah answered for her. She looked like the Cheshire cat with how much she was enjoying this whole situation. "If Kol was addicted to your blood," She began to explain.

"Which I am not," He stubbornly denied, throwing a glare towards his sister.

"Oh, he is," She smirked at him before looking back to Charlotte. "Then he'll do just about _any_thing to get a taste of your blood. It's quite a powerful position to be in, really."

"Bekah…" Kol growled warningly at her.

"Yeah… I don't really like the sound of that," Charlotte shook her head. Sure, if he was just an average college boy, she could certainly manipulate his attention to a way she found flattering, but this was different. He was an already unstable Original. She didn't really like the thought that he could just get fed up, snap her neck and feed off of her anyway.

"It doesn't matter," Kol protested, trying to look at Charlotte in a reassuring manner. "Because I'm not addicted to your blood."

"Prove it," Rebekah interjected, leaning on the counter with her elbows.

Kol glanced towards her incredulously.

"Try a little taste of her blood now," Rebekah held up two fingers to emphasis her point. "Prove that it doesn't bother you." If he really wasn't addicted, it shouldn't affect him at all.

"No," Kol snapped out. He didn't have to waste his time with this.

"Are you insane?" This time Charlotte had to speak out, being blunt.

"Arguably," Rebekah shrugged, but persisted. "Come on now, just one little taste to prove it. If I'm wrong, I won't mention the word addiction again. If I'm right, then Charlotte can thank me later," She smirked.

Kol's eyes narrowed on Rebekah and Charlotte could swear she almost heard him growling.

"No way!" Charlotte protested even louder. "Were you not there the other night?" She gestured towards Kol. "He killed me – temporarily, but still," She corrected herself.

"Oh relax," Rebekah huffed out. "I'm here this time. If he gets carried away, I'll pull him off of you… and hold him down while you kick his ass," She grinned at her brother maliciously.

He turned to face his sister, folding his arms over his chest thoughtfully.

"And what's in it for me when I prove that you're wrong?" Kol challenged, raising his chin at Bekah.

The blond pursued her lips together a moment to think about it. Charlotte just watched them with her jaw slightly open. "How about the St. Petersburg estate?" She threw out as a suggestion.

Charlotte couldn't believe it. "Are you two seriously wagering on this?" She realized.

"Yes," They snapped out in unison without actually looking at her.

"Gardens and dock access included?" Kol nodded back to Rebekah. It had been a couple of centuries since he had access to that particular property. He would fancying giving it a visit and not allowing Rebekah to use it for a couple of decades as payback.

Rebekah wrinkled her nose briefly before giving in, "Fine." The way the two spoke made Charlotte think they made bets like this all the time.

"Hmm… Done," Kol decided so quickly it almost gave Charlotte whiplash. He looked to her expectantly next.

"What?" Charlotte gasped. "No," She shook her head stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest.

"Come on, darling," Kol tried to coax her this time. "It's just a quick prick, you might even enjoy it," He smirked.

Charlotte gaped at him before she recovered. She pointed an accusing finger at him, "You're sick in the head." She then pointed at Rebekah, "And you're evil." The blonde just smiled a little broader.

Kol just gave an unoffended shrug. He's been called worse things.

"It'll be over quickly," Kol assured her. "And then we can spend the rest of the day ridiculing Rebekah for coming up with this stupid idea," He suggested cheekily.

Charlotte sighed, still shaking her head in disbelief. Neither one of the siblings looked like they were going to relent and she was essentially cornered in the kitchen. She sighed out reluctantly.

"Fine," She gave in, hoping it would be as quick and painless as he suggested. She dropped one arm from her chest to hold out her wrist in his direction. She would never let Rebekah live this down for putting her through this.

He wrinkled his nose slightly at the gesture. "It would be less painful at the neck," He chose to be picky.

"No thanks," Charlotte hissed out with a cold glare. "I don't exactly have the best experiences with the neck."

"Then all the more reason it should be there," Kol countered smoothly with a surprisingly serious expression. He almost looked concerned.

Rebekah stood up straighter with renewed interest at the fact the two were apparently going to go through with it.

Charlotte eased up into a casual frown, studying Kol. Was this what Rebekah meant by he would do anything for a taste? Or did he actually seemed concerned by the fact she had been traumatized in that way? She was sure if he really wanted to give a good experience with that.

"Alright, just get it over with," Charlotte finally gave up. She dropped her arms, placing her hands behind her against the edge of the counter. She swallowed thickly and looked up at him as he stepped forward to her. His height and broad shoulders blocked out her vision of Rebekah behind him.

He smirked faintly, but otherwise he was surprisingly quiet in a determined way. His eyes darted over her features, seeing just how tense she was on top of everything. Carefully, he reached up to brush her hair out of her eyes and some away from the right side of her neck. She watched every movement suspiciously and vividly.

"It really does help if you relax," He suggested, knowing it was more painful everything was tense.

"When has saying that ever actually worked?" Charlotte retorted in a softer tone.

Kol just grinned faintly at her wit. "Touche," He murmured. In that case, he would have to just go slowly. He moved to place her hands on her hips, his eyes dropping and making his actions apparently. Charlotte tightened her grip on the counter a little.

She wasn't sure if the anticipation was worse than the actual actions.

He kept his eyes on hers when he began to lean into her neck, as long as they could before they closed. Charlotte's shoulders scrunched up reflexively when she felt the first brush against her neck. The flashes of him coming after her last time came to the surface. He noticed her reaction immediately and held still.

His lips were touching her neck, right at her pulse point, but they didn't move. And he waited.

Charlotte had her eyes squeezed shut and she counted them out in her head. There were five slow exhales from him and he still didn't move. That was when she began to ease up a bit. She let out a slow deep breath and opened her eyes slowly. She had been expecting it to be quick, like a shot from the doctor, but now she wasn't sure.

His lips moved along her neck, placing light butterfly kisses in a circle around her pulse point. The sensation drew a shiver. Charlotte tilted her head to the side before she thought of it, giving him more access. The butterfly kisses turned into moist open mouth ones. Charlotte felt the heat in the kitchen grow warmer from the proximity of his body and intimate attention to her flesh.

His hands eased off of the counter and moved to mirror his against his waist. Her breath gave a hitch the first time she felt his teeth scrap against her skin, but it didn't break. It was as if he was testing the waters. His teeth dragged several times along her skin, followed by his tongue. The moments dragged by and Charlotte almost forgot that he was going to bite her. Her eyes eased shut, but relaxed this time.

Her skin felt hot, moist and the sensations were too hard to discern which was from his teeth, lips or tongue. It wasn't until she felt a sharp prick did she realize his fangs were out. It was quick and they withdrew immediately before his lips closed over the wound. Open air never hit the puncture marks. Charlotte tensed just a bit, expecting it to hurt more than the sting.

But it never came, instead she felt his tongue lap over the marks with a gentle sucking. It wasn't the hurried gulping that she experienced in the alley. His hands also began to move distractingly up and down along her sides, as far down as her thighs and bold enough up to brush under her bust. Her hands moved to his shoulder blades as he leant more against her body.

One hand moved down to her rear, cupping the cheek. Charlotte opened her mouth to say something, but he then gave it a firm squeeze. The action caused a tingling sensation to shoot up through her spine and her to roll on her toes up against him with a sharp gasp. He sucked a little firmer against her neck at the reaction and let out a groan. Charlotte wasn't sure if Rebekah heard it, but she certainly heard and felt it. A pleasurable guttural sound from his chest.

"Kol," Charlotte murmured, actually more like whimpered, when she began to notice this was more than just a sip. The whimper sounded more pathetic and husky than she had intended.

"Kol," She repeated when she didn't get a response from him. One hand reached up into the locks of his hair, giving a little tug.

He let out a faint grunt, almost nodding against her neck. His lips began to easy up, losing the suctioning, allowing the wound to heal itself. He didn't just pull away though. He lingered to lap up every trace of blood on her skin, slowly and delicately while he held her by the hips. A few fingers toyed under the hem of her tank top against her skin.

When he finally leant away, Charlotte let out a shaky exhale. He didn't go far. His forehead brushed briefly against hers and her hands slid down to his forearms. She opened her eyes, searching out his, refusing to bring any attention to the not so subtle throbbing she felt against her hip through the thin material of their clothing. His mouth was parted, flushed and swollen. His breathing was a little heavier than normal.

"I don't think you're going to St. Petersburg any time soon…" Charlotte broke the silence in a low whisper.

At first she thought she heard him mutter a low swear. He shook his head, agreeing with her, "No. I won't be…" His voice was heavy with resignation.

"Told you so," Rebekah's smug voice interrupted them.

Charlotte jumped slightly. She had nearly forgotten the blonde was there. Kol stood up straight abruptly and stepped back from Charlotte, almost like she had shocked her. He looked away from her, averting his gaze.

Before she could get another word in edge wise, he practically bolted from the room. He didn't even spare a glance up towards his sister, never mind a remark about her so called victory. Charlotte only barely caught his backside before he went upstairs. He didn't want his sister to see and taunt him about just how worked up he had gotten.

A moment later, his bedroom door slammed loudly, leaving a flustered Charlotte and triumphant Rebekah in the kitchen.


	22. Tootsie Pop

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! So I got a lot of questions about this and I apologize for not making it clearer – to put it simply – Kol still has the same physical characteristics (think of it like his body was cloned. Technically if they were to dig up where his burnt remains were buried they would actually still be there because Gloria didn't use his remains to cross back over), but all his mental vampire instincts (bloodlust control, mood swings, impulses, etc.) had a mental "reset" with returning to life – which is why he's prone to addiction, but still physically as strong as the other Originals. Charlotte doesn't notice any differences because she never knew what it was like to be a vampire in the first place. I am feeling better and all the reviews really helped too! Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts. Mary VA, I think you're spot on with those two needing some time to just talk. And twin of a sister, I always loving using a little humor to lighten things up. Hopefully I got both of those things right this chapter. Guest, you're right, I changed the summary! That tends to happen with a lot of my ideas. Traviata, it is totally possible that Charlotte will meet Elijah or Klaus in the future, but I won't say which one. ;) **

* * *

"_**I can't promise I won't hurt you again." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Coldplay – Fix You]_

* * *

"What's that?" Charlotte asked when Rebekah dropped the large cardboard box on the counter. There was a whole series of stickers and tags on the outside, including a couple of different carriers. Some of them were written in Spanish. Charlotte was able to see one that read something about plant matter.

"A shipment Kol put an order in for a few weeks ago," Rebekah said while she used a knife from the kitchen drawer to cut open the tape.

"Given the recent circumstances," Rebekah drawled out, "I made a few calls to expedite it." It became pretty clear that Charlotte and Kol weren't going to tolerate having Kol addicted to her blood. Not that Charlotte was given much choice in the matter, but she didn't seem thrilled by it. Kol in the meantime had locked himself in his room like a pouting brat and they hadn't seen him since the wager.

It was safe to say he was opting to go through the withdrawal symptoms.

"Ugh, what is that stuff?" Charlotte wrinkled her nose, covering her mouth as soon as Rebekah opened the flaps of the box. The scent that came out was fiercely floral, so strong that Charlotte swore it burned her nostrils. She took two steps back.

Rebekah didn't seem as bothered, but she definitely made a sour face. Instead, she pulled on some latex gloves from under the kitchen sink. "Vervain," She said, pulling out several branches of the dried purple flower. She set them down on the counter carefully before going back into the box.

"Don't!" Rebekah interjected when she saw Charlotte's hand reach forward. Too late.

"Aw, shit!" Charlotte exclaimed, yanking her hand back. Rebekah heard the sizzling of her skin burning and rolled her eyes. Charlotte held her hand, nursing the temporary wound.

"Warned you," Rebekah muttered. "By the way, vervain burns vampires."

"Why the hell would you buy that then?" Charlotte wondered.

"Because this company in Mexico was kind enough to process some of it into tea bags and vervain pills for you," Rebekah pointed out, holding up the smaller boxes from the box. Charlotte couldn't read any of the vague, uninspiring descriptions, but took Rebekah's word for it.

"I'm not ingesting that," Charlotte shook her head, just shuddering at the thought of how miserable that would be.

"Oh, yes you are," Rebekah remained firm. "It'll keep you from being Kol's personal Tootsie Pop." She then wrinkled her nose thoughtfully, adding on while looking at the plant, "Only drawback is we won't be able to compel you anymore though."

Charlotte's interest suddenly changed at that. It may be a drawback for Rebekah and Kol, but she didn't see it that way. She wasn't going to argue with her by pointing that out.

"So, which will it be?" Rebekah held the two options in the air when she didn't hear another protest from Charlotte.

"Which one is better?" Charlotte countered, glancing between the two uncertainly.

Rebekah gave a half shrug. "Personal suffering preference, really." She shook the box of tea bags lightly, "One burns your throat horribly now." She then gave the clear bottle of herbal looking pills a jiggle. "The other gives you miserable heartburn later."

"Great," Charlotte muttered sarcastically, thinking neither sounded appealing.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Charlotte asked when she came home from work. She found Rebekah in the living room reading a magazine. She dropped her jacket on the back of the loveseat and began to kick her shoes off while Rebekah just gave a shrug.

"He's fine," She said without looking up from her fashion magazine. "He'll be over it soon enough."

Charlotte sighed while emptying her pockets of her keys and phone. That was the same response Rebekah had given her for the past two days. She was beginning to think all the Originals had a messed up sense of time.

"I'm going to check on him," Charlotte made up her mind then.

"Suit yourself," Rebekah muttered with disinterest while the younger vampire headed for the stairs.

Charlotte stopped outside of Kol's bedroom. She gave a knock against the door. "Kol?" She called out. She waited and listened, she didn't hear any movement from the room. She frowned and decided to test the door knob. It was unlocked, slowly she opened the door and stepped into the room. The lights were off, it was dim from only the natural sunlight coming through semi sheer curtains – the decorative ones were pulled back.

Her eyes found his form on the bed quickly. The main blankets and comforter were pulled back, discarded on the floor, leaving only the sheets. Even then, he laid on top of them in just his pajamas pants. Charlotte was glad his back was to her at first, giving her a chance to recover from the bare sight of him.

"Kol?" She called out a little louder. Then she heard the faint groan before he rolled over onto his back, his limps draped carelessly.

He turned his head toward her, squinting a bit before he recognized her. "You shouldn't be here," If he was trying to be firm, it came out weak and pathetic instead.

"It's okay," Charlotte disagreed. "Rebekah has been having me take vervain nearly on the hour." She wasn't too concerned about Kol trying to take a bite out of her now, especially with seeing how worn down he was.

"Yeah," He mumbled, "I can smell it from here." She was two feet away from the bed, but he could pick up the faint smell.

"You still don't have to be here," He persisted though, changing the meaning of his words slightly.

Charlotte sighed. Honestly, she was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with her. Apparently the blood withdrawal symptoms were similar to the symptoms of other hard addiction withdrawals. For the physical pain he caused her, it only lasted a few hours. His was lasting the better part of three days. She was actually starting to feel bad for him, even though she knew she shouldn't.

"I know," Charlotte said, neither disagreeing with him nor leaving. Instead, she made a point by sitting on the edge of the bed next to him.

Half lidded eyes watched her movements. His complexion was rather pale. She could see the gleam of the sweat coated along his chest, shoulders and facial features. The exhaustion was evident in the bags under his eyes. She noticed the faint shake in his hands as well.

"You look terrible," She observed bluntly. She did see several wrinkled and dried blood bags on top of the dresser when she walked in. Apparently it was taking several days for her blood to pass through his system, even with drowning it out with human blood.

His lips quirked up briefly into something that was either a grimace or a grin. "At least the nausea gone," He retorted quietly. He was glad she didn't come in earlier. He didn't fancy anyone seeing him retching over the toilet.

Charlotte bit her lip lightly in worry as she watched him. Delicately, she reached out to his face. She wondered if he was holding back any smug remarks because he was too exhausted to put out the effort. When she touched his forehead with the back of her hand, she frowned. "Jesus, Kol," She swore in alarm. "You're burning up…"

He just let out a mumble, "Yeah, I figured I might…" He didn't make any move to do anything about it.

"I'll be right back," Charlotte said to him. She stood up and went to his bathroom. A minute later after running the faucet, she returned with three cold, damp hand towels. She had to rummage under the counter for the extra ones. He opened his eyes again when he felt the mattress sink from her sitting down again.

"Pick your head up," She ordered gently. He gave her an odd look briefly, but easing up slowly. She tucked the first clothe rolled up at the back of his neck. The cool contact caused him to shiver immediately. The second towel she draped across his stomach. His skin quivered immediately at the contact. "Give me your wrists," She said, barely waiting for him to pick his hands up off the mattress. She tucked his hands against the towel, wrists down.

Between the towel at the neck, his wrists and his stomach, he should cool down pretty quickly, she thought. She saw the goose bumps along his forearms and heard him let out a few narrow sighs at the difference it made.

Without giving a good excuse, Charlotte shifted to make herself more comfortable lying on her side next to him. She saw the faintly suspicious or questioning look in his eyes while she used the last clothe to wipe some of the glisten away from his face. She just ignored him. She was going to do this much for him and not deal with anyone's questions.

* * *

She didn't even realize she had nodded off until she woke up. It was much darker in the room with the evening sun having set and only the lingering of light left. Their positions shifted slightly. She was the one on her back this time and he on his side. Her head lulled to the side from the nodding off. When she opened her eyes, they were met by his face.

Maybe most of people would have been alarmed by the arm draped across her torso, but it seemed normal to her at this point, almost natural. Her interest was more taken by his state. His eyes were closed, expression slackened. More importantly, the shine to his skin was gone. He had stopped sweating and it looked like there was a little more color in his face. For several minutes, she laid there, contemplating what to do but not feeling inspired to move either.

Carefully she wiggled one arm free and her fingers brushed against his forehead, moving the slightly slicken hair. The contact caused his eyes to shoot open with a sharp inhale. The bleariness lasted a moment before they focused on her, more lucid than before.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte whispered to him. He looked better.

"Okay enough," He answered her unenthusiastically. Her brow cinched into a tight line at the response, causing him to explain. "I think it's passed. The craving will always be there, but it's manageable now I'm aware of it."

Like any addiction, he could be clean for twenty years from now, but really all it would take is one bad day.

"Oh," Charlotte mumbled. She almost gave him a sympathetic apology, but it was his fault they were in the position in the first place.

He shifted his cheek against his pillow to get a better look at her. The two fell silent. Charlotte felt her nerves starting increase the longer he stared at her, but she was doing the same thing to him. They watched each other, waiting to see what the other would do, but holding back themselves.

"I do regret it," He confessed frankly, still keeping his voice low to a whisper. Charlotte frowned in thought at what he meant.

"Hurting you," He clarified, not specifically saying he regretted attacking her. Just hurting her. "I can't promise I won't hurt you again. It's kind of what I do to people," He admitted bleakly.

The frown grew more pronounced as she thought about what he said. He wasn't exactly apologizing for what he did. In some ways, Charlotte was glad he wasn't callous enough to try to – as if it was something he could simply ask forgiveness for doing.

"Everyone does, Kol," Charlotte replied. She couldn't claim to put him or herself on a pedestal. She's hurt her loved ones before. Hurting each other was a part of being human.

Kol couldn't tell if she was accepting his words or believing them.

"Why did you do it?" She tried to understand.

He gave a half shrug against her side. "I was angry," He mumbled vaguely without looking at her. "Impulsive."

The silence from her told him that she wasn't entirely satisfied with his answer. She looked away from him, turning her head.

"You have to understand, Charlotte, it wasn't because of _you_ personally," His voice was demanding, nearly pleading with her. She turned back to him, her attention drawn. He would have done it to anyone – whether or not that made it better or worse was left to be decided.

"I'm an Original, part of the family of the first vampires ever," He stated it for what it was rather than bragging or with conceit. "I do have a reputation and an authority to uphold because of that fact," He stressed it honestly. "And I can't have someone challenging that or questioning my decisions, especially in front of Niklaus' former protégé who's known for being just as power hungry as my brother."

Charlotte's eyebrows rose at that piece of information. She certainly didn't peg Marcel as that personality type just by looking at him. She bit on her lower lip while she mulled over what he said. She was silent for a long while, he could see the gears turning in her mind.

Finally, she said, "You know, Kol… If you had just explain this to me before the meeting," Her tone wasn't accusing, but frank. "I would have understood." And maybe avoided a lot of this went without say.

He blinked incredulously at her. He had been half expecting a lecture about how cruel his actions were and he shouldn't have done them anyway, no matter the reason. Instead, he was humbled by this response.

"I'm sorry," He whispered before he thought better of it. "I'm just so used to doing things on my own." Most of the time he was on his own. He didn't have other people to consider, just his own terms and maybe communication of those terms was a little lacking as a result.

Charlotte nodded faintly. "Me too," She leveled with him. Her hand that had touched his forehead now rested on the forearm across her body. She gave him a gentle reassuring squeeze.

The tension eased off his expression slowly, the dark hues of his eyes seeming more expression with each moment. It was the kind of look that reminded her of the first time he saw her on the Other Side. She knew what he was doing the moment he picked his head off the pillow and leant towards her.

She met him halfway.

Charlotte gave a faint sight as familiar sensation of his lips fitting against hers. He pulled her lower lip between his in a lush, drawn out caress. Each one that followed was unhurried, content with enjoying the intimate contact simply for what it was. Her hand went from his forearm to pushing the towel out of the way to hold him by the back of the neck.

Rather than roll over her and push it further, Kol actually eased back for air eventually. His forehead touched against hers before he sagged down against her shoulder. He let out a groan, closing his eyes.

"I'm so fucking exhausted," He muttered, still feeling put through the ringer.

Charlotte let a snort of a giggle.

"What?" His expression wrinkled indignantly at her.

"Nothing," She shook her head, perhaps feeling a little bit giddy after the kiss. "It's just your accent," She smirked at hearing him swear like that.

Kol just let out a low 'hmph' noise from his chest.

"I should probably let you sleep," Charlotte thought aloud.

"No," Kol denied, when he felt her body weight begin to shift. The arm over her tightened, his hand clasping her hip possessively. "Stay," He then added on, "At least just for tonight…"

Charlotte's eyes widened at the request, but she sank back down on the mattress. "Are you sure?"

"Mhmm," He nodded against her shoulder. "Unless you snore or fart in your sleep – in that case, get out," Some of his old cheek returned.

"I do not!" She exclaimed, smacking his shoulder lightly.

He grinned against her, unbothered by it. The first playful grin since waking up.

"What about hogging the covers?" He asked seriously a moment later.

This time she remembered him asking her to stay.


	23. When Blood Decays

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Thank you for the constant support, especially Mary VA, Kelly, and some of my anons out there! Guest, that's a great point you bring up about Gloria. It's something I would wonder about, especially considering how many female antagonists there are. RubyWaters, binge reading is the best way to go, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Chikatilo, thank you! That actually means a lot to me considering the trainwreck the show has become. I'm glad I can make something good of it. So this chapter is some serious business, next chapter will be some Charkol being normal as I'm starting to like calling that bonding time. Here's a longer chapter to make up for the delay.**

* * *

"_**Niklaus liked to keep us in line with his daggers. I liked to keep him in line with Mikael." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Jasmine Thompson - Pompeii]_

* * *

Charlotte stirred the next morning with a stiff inhale. She was caught up in a tangle of sheets and overs, but Kol wasn't. It didn't take much to figure out where he had gone based off the steam and soap scents coming from his bathroom. She wasn't quite sure how she managed to sleep through him getting up and showering, but she froze when she saw the door was wide open.

Very carefully she pulled the covers back, trying not to make her movements noticeable. Was it immature of her that she wanted to sneak out of the room just to avoid any awkward morning talk? In her defense, seeing Kol standing at sink with just a towel wrapped around his waist made that feeling tenfold. His hair was starting to dry in finger comb locks and he had a toothbrush in his mouth. Aside from admiring his physique, Charlotte did think he looked much better – back to his normal self.

"Charlotte," Kol called out, half mumbling the name from a mouthful of paste.

She froze and cringed before looking at him. She had made it around the end of the bed – so close to a straight shot out the door.

"Yeah?" She turned to him, standing up straighter. She felt a little overdressed still in the remnants of her work uniform. His head disappeared a moment while he rinsed and spit before setting the brush down to talk to her.

"I got a message on my phone from Marcel," He informed her in a gentle, but serious tone. He stopped with his hands against the frame of the bathroom, giving her his full attention but not crowding her at the same time.

Her expression pulled into a thoughtful one. She had half expected a taunting remark about waking up in his bed.

"He has the Bennett grimoire…" He went on to say even in her silence.

"Oh," Charlotte mumbled meekly in response. She wasn't sure how she felt about the fact he wasn't saying anything about yesterday. Although, the more she thought about it, she was okay with it. She preferred letting it be what it was. Especially while she fidgeted with her fingers and tried to decide what it meant to her.

Even as she did that, Kol continued to watch her and cocked his head slightly.

Maybe she was a little slow on the uptake due to the morning weariness, but that was when she realized he wasn't just casually informing her. His eyes were searching for something more from her. To see if she was still with him on this. She had the feeling if she said she wasn't comfortable he wouldn't force her after everything.

"So…" She didn't think anyone would fault her for wanting to stay away. "When are we meeting him?" She instead, stressing the emphasis on _we_.

* * *

They went out for dinner that night at an Italian restaurant that clearly over valued itself. It was one of the most pretentious experiences of Charlotte's life, but she figured to just go with it. What the hell, why not? This time when she got ready for the occasion, she wore a dark blue dress with as silver wide belt to accentuate her waist. She took the time to straighten her hair for a change, letting it hang down in a curtain of dirty blonde and brunette.

And by pretentious, she meant they didn't just eat an expensive meal. Charlotte thought they would get a normal table in the main dining area. However, Kol had a few whispered conversations with the staff and the next thing she knew they were whisked away to a private dining room. If it wasn't for the serious nature of their meeting, Charlotte would have thought Kol was just showing off. Maybe he was anyway.

Either way, that was how she found herself sitting beside Kol in a plush, cozy booth. Admittedly, seeing him cleaned up in a suit wasn't exactly making the experience miserable either. Marcel arrived shortly after they did with a briefcase in hand.

It was one of the tenses meals Charlotte ever had, but odd because no one appeared to be bothered by it. The other two men were either at ease or very good at hiding it. There was idle, small talk between narrow eyes and false smiles. Apparently the serious discussion didn't start until after the main course. Charlotte took frequent sips from her wine, if for no other reason than to keep her hands busy.

Marcel noticed the difference in the pair. He wasn't sure how to describe it this time. Between waiting for courses, Kol had his arm behind Charlotte idly like last time. They frequently stole glances towards each other. Maybe it was because she didn't seem as physically uncomfortable. She wasn't sitting with her back ramrod straight. She favored her right side slightly, towards Kol. She even interjected a few quiet and polite words to the conversation. She actually gave a few coy grins, rather than staring hard straight ahead.

"Tell me about these witches of yours," Kol said to Marcel while he reached for a sip of his red wine. His tone was casual, but Charlotte sensed the slight shift in the conversation.

"There's a small group of them, from the French Quarter, actually," Marcel replied smoothly, leaning back in his seat.

"Really?" Kol mused with half interest. "Last I was awake in New Orleans, there were several covens starting to form," He thought aloud. It was a long time ago and the city has changed quite a bit from what he heard.

Marcel smirked slightly. "Yeah, well now there's one coven in New Orleans. The witches are mostly young girls, but I assure you they're quite powerful," He nodded confidently, particularly thinking of Davina fondly. "And we have an elder to guide them with her experience."

Kol nodded slowly, seeming satisfied. If one witch in Mystic Falls could manage it before, then they shouldn't have a problem. "And the grimoire?" He asked.

"It's right here," Marcel patted the top of the briefcase sitting on the seat next to him.

"How did you get it?" Kol wondered, thinking it was rather quick too. Given his dealings with the Virginia residents in the past, he was a little suspicious.

"It was actually pretty easy," Marcel admitted with disbelief still present. "I went to Mystic Falls, just do some asking around about the Bennett family." Of course he only asked compellable humans for information.

"I found there was still one living residence, but according to the locals the girl's father and guardian had passed away recently. The house was supposedly left to her and she was away at college," Marcel just shrugged.

Charlotte noticed Kol grow still – tense. His jaw was locked tightly, but he kept firm eye contact and interest on Marcel. Compared to last time, he actually kept his hands to himself. Kol didn't feel the need to mention he was a little more acquainted than he cared for with the witch Marcel was talking about.

"I went to the house… But I was surprised to find I didn't need an invitation to get inside," Marcel shook his head. He still didn't understand it, if the house was left to a witch the task should have been a little more complicated.

Kol turned and exchanged a look with Charlotte at that. Neither one of them said anything. Apparently being the Anchor to the Other Side didn't count as living.

"So what did you do?" Charlotte spoke up, looking back to Marcel.

"I smashed the window of the backdoor," Marcel grinned. "I made it look like a house robbery. Nothing to draw too much attention, but just broke a couple of things – so it'll be a little time before the police notice it if someone didn't see me. And even more time before anyone notices the grimoire missing."

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow, trying not to visualize the stereotypical bad image. It was simple, but sounded effective. She looked to Kol, who was watching her. He just gave a shrug, communicating with his expression that he was a little impressed and satisfied.

"That works," Kol spoke up. He then nodded to the briefcase, "Let's have a look at it."

Marcel set the briefcase on the table. A few clicks of the combinations later, he opened it to reveal the ancient tome. Carefully, he picked up the heavy text and passed it across the table to Kol. The Original withdrew his arm from around Charlotte to hold it in both hands. For a moment, he stared at the binding and cover of the animal hide before opening the book carefully. He tilted it against the edge of the table as he did.

Naturally, Charlotte found herself leaning closer over Kol's shoulder to have a look. It was fascinating for her to see the neat, tight handwriting of the languages she wasn't familiar with. Honestly, she was more interested in trying to understand the assortment of sketches. His hands stopped and Kol's face turned towards her, unusually close. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"What?" Charlotte responded to him.

He just gave a slow smirk, dimple and all, going back to the book. Charlotte ignored the chuckle she heard from across the table.

The smirk disappeared when he flipped a few pages later. One spell in particular caused him to stop dead in his thoughts. At first, Charlotte squinted at the sketches of some sort of clockwork. But then her eyes caught the family name – _Gilbert_. While she didn't know what the spell was for, she understood why his knuckles went white.

Quietly under the table, she slipped a hand to his knee, giving it a squeeze in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture.

Kol let out a slow, tight sigh. The next noise that followed was the sound of the parchment being ripped from the binding of the book.

"What are you doing?" Marcel went from stoic and silent to sitting up with alarm. He wasn't a witch, but being the surrogate father of one he grew to appreciate how much witches valued grimoires.

Kol just smirked at his reaction. "Consider it payment for my consultation services," He replied while making a show of folding the parchment and tucking it away inside his jacket.

Some of the politeness disappeared from Marcel's eyes, but he held his tongue and sank back in his seat.

"Now, about that spell…" Kol hummed out while he continued to flip through the pages. It took another moment before he found what he was looking for. He smirked broadly once more. This time, when he reached into his inside jacket pocket, he pulled out a pen. He made a point of click it out before lowering it to the parchment.

This time he heard Marcel make a cringing noise. "Oh please tell me you aren't about to write in that," Marcel gestured with one hand. His voice was strained somewhere between being condescending and grimacing at seeing the valuable being defaced openly in front of them. First ripping pages, now a _ballpoint pen_.

Kol, however, didn't even look up at him. The pen was already moving along the margins. Looking closely, Charlotte watched the way his lips moved with faint mouthing of tongues used.

"You seem to forget, Marcellus," He spoke lightly, but used the vampire's name in an ominous manner. "One of us at this table actually used to be a warlock."

Charlotte's eyebrows rose at that, her hand remaining firm on his knee. That was the second time Kol has mentioned witchcraft.

"And furthermore, witnessed the creation of many spells by Ayanna that was passed down generation to generation through grimoires like this one," Kol continued smoothly without looking up at Marcel. Charlotte didn't know if Marcel underline malice in his tone, but she did. She stroked her thumb lightly against his knee, just hoping the night would not end in a scene being made.

"I can assure you that your witches will want the notations I'm making to do the spell properly," Kol stated confidently before finally finishing and closing the book. Only after tucking the pen away, did he look up to see a moderately sour, but composed Marcel. He made a point of holding it out for him.

"Are we clear?" Kol flashed a toothy smile. His eyes held all the promise, almost daring Marcel to balk again.

Begrudgingly, Marcel just responded, "Crystal." He took the text back and set it in the briefcase. Charlotte couldn't help the sly grin on her face at the interaction. Kol noticed the way his eyes darted to his jacket. He was sure the vampire was itching to know which spell he had taken.

"Now," Kol continued, still speaking with the authority of the table. "Your witches are going to need to channel a full moon for that spell – like the one in three weeks." Marcel nodded along, despite his slight sulking. "Use that time for them to prepare," Kol ordered. "I'll arrive in New Orleans two days before the full moon. There's no need for me to be there any sooner than that."

Besides, it was best his brothers were kept in the dark as long as possible about his return.

"Alright, fair enough, but I need to ask," Marcel finally reached the end of the patience he was withholding. "I trust the witches, I'm sure they can handle this spell. They want Klaus gone as much as I do, but forgive me," He shook his head slightly. "I'm still having trouble believing you would go against yours siblings. Don't they say blood is thicker than water?"

Kol cocked his head slightly, his expression growing dark and formidable, but this time it wasn't necessarily directed at Marcel. He was silent a moment before countering, "Ah yes, but over a thousand years blood begins to break down and decay. Water does not."

Marcel sighed, trying not to roll his eyes. "You know that's not what I meant…"

"Actually, I know perfectly well what you meant," Kol replied coolly. "It is you that misunderstood me." He wasn't going to spare him the details of how much his relationship between his siblings could have changed during all that time, especially for the worst. He didn't owe him that justification, his reasons were his own.

The table grew silent. Charlotte didn't dare say anything, her hand moved up a bit on his thigh, her eyes darting quickly between the males.

"Tell me, Marcellus," Kol broke the silence. Charlotte figured out when he used the vampire's full name, he was bordering on trouble. "Do you know why it was that Niklaus left me daggered?"

Marcel gave a faint shrug of his shoulders, trying to think back to it. "You arrived that way," He recalled. "Something about keeping you safe from Mikael. That's why your siblings left Europe, wasn't it?" His memory was a little foggy on the details.

Kol gave one terse nod. "And the time after that? When he left me daggered for over a century?" He hissed out.

Marcel opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. "I don't know…" He said honestly. It was about a decade before the Originals left New Orleans, taking a few coffins with them and he knew Kol was in one of them. He just never knew why.

"I'll tell you," Kol shifted in his seat, clearing his throat. "Normally I don't stay in one place for too long, but I suppose I got complacent in New Orleans," He explained. It was one of the few times him and his siblings lived together for an extended period of time. "It was during that time Niklaus _finally_ noticed a particularly strange pattern; Every time Mikael found him, whether it he was with Elijah or Rebekah… I was interestingly nowhere to be found," He smirked meaningfully.

Needless to say, when Klaus put two and two together, he was moderately upset. Therefore, a dagger and a century later, Kol suspected the only reason he didn't get another after Elijah awoke him had something to do with Mikael being dead.

He could practically see the realization and understanding dawn on Marcel. "You were working with Mikael?"

Kol just smirked.

"Why?" Marcel asked in disbelief, remembering how much of New Orleans had burned.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kol countered wickedly. "You and I know how Niklaus gets with a little power and his thirst for it. A half breed he may be, but he used that status at any chance he could assert his dominance. Let's just say sometimes he got a little carried away and I liked to keep him humble with a periodical reminder from Mikael."

Marcel had no words for him. It left him a lot to think about and to be in awe of. Maybe things would have ended differently in 1919 if he had sought out Kol instead of Genevieve.

Kol concluded with one simple, but powerful statement, "Niklaus liked to keep us in line with his daggers. I liked to keep him in line with Mikael."

* * *

After that, it became apparent that Charlotte and Kol weren't going to stay for dessert. Before they left though, Charlotte felt a hand clasp over top of hers in his lap. Rather than push her away, he held onto it and led her by that hand out of the restaurant.

He was teasing her about her slight wobbling outside the restaurant when his fingers threaded through hers. Charlotte vehemently denied being affected by the alcohol, even though she knew she drank quite a bit out of nerves. Even though he was trying to act as if the meeting wasn't still on his mind, she knew it was. But nonetheless, she appreciated the fresh air and the distraction.

"No?" Kol smirked at her denials. "Then about a stroll before we return?" He suggested.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the second note, but I wanted to curb any questions about Bonnie's grimoires. Since she's the Anchor now and can't practice magic, it doesn't make any sense for her to take them with her to college. And Kudos to anyone who can guess what spell Kol took.**


	24. Family Matters

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Here's some Charkol fluff! There were some interesting guesses for the spell, but I can say that no one got it. Kilera, I'm glad you liked that. I always thought there had to be something monumental for Kol to be excluded from the main three and I could see him being antagonistic enough to do that since season three showed he doesn't like being bossed around by Klaus. Angels Are Watching Over You, no I wouldn't use the term never with Originals. WickedlyMinx, I really have no interest in bringing the story to MFG, sorry. Tiem, thank you so much! This character was tough to write because I wanted to make her realistic and average, but not a Mary Sue. Thanks Mary VA! Yes, Charlotte is the type of character that isn't aggressive or in your face, she slowly gets under your skin and Kol is starting to see that. Thank you songtoyou, Kelly, and Things You Wish You Knew! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter – next chapter will be more Originals.**

* * *

"_**You're a good man, Kol, when you let yourself be." – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights]_

* * *

She didn't necessarily stumble, but there was a slight sway in her steps. It took a little longer to hear each click of her heels as they moved through the mostly empty park. There were the other occasional late night couples walking or joggers, but for the most part they had their space. Kol was quickly discovering she was likely a rather jovial drunk. How drunk she was, he was willing to bet just thoroughly tipsy. It explained the flush cheeks and constant grin on her face. He himself tend to be quieter. The alcohol mellowed him out, which left him smirking while she swung their hands casually in the air.

"That actually…" Charlotte blurted out, delaying in finding the right word. "Went well," She decided.

"Hmm?" Kol snapped out of his wandering thoughts, looking towards her.

"The meeting with Marcel," Charlotte smirked at the way she had to fill in his blank expression.

"Ah, yes," Kol nodded along. He was rather satisfied with how things went. It certainly went much better between him and Charlotte. He couldn't help but tease her with that fact, "Although, who was groping who under the table this time?"

Charlotte shot him a rueful look. "I was only doing that to keep you from lunging across the table and strangling Marcel!" She defended.

"Oh, so you were concerned about me?" He cheekily twisted her words.

Charlotte let out a _pfft_ noise that came out more undignified than normal. "More like, I want to be allowed back at that restaurant," She retorted. It was rather nice. She wouldn't mind a real date sometime there.

Amusement tickled his expression. "Yeah?" He continued. "And what about now?" He raised their hands, gesturing to the way her fingers were locked between his.

Charlotte looked down with her mouth open, like if her tongue was caught. Her mind was a little foggy to making excuses at the moment.

So instead, she went with, "Well, don't ruin it."

"Ruin what?" Kol's brow furrowed at her.

"The _moment_," She lowered her voice in a conspiring whisper. She continued to earn a confused look from Kol, so she explained. "It might not be the dream every girl admits to, but every girl is at least a little in love with the idea of this moment."

Kol shook his head. "And what exactly is the moment?" He found himself lowering his voice with her anyway. He rather doubted she was talking about making vengeance plans with vampires.

"This," Charlotte gestured with her free hand around them, as if it was obvious. "New York City… The lights, the wine, a stroll through Central Park in a pretty dress with a handsome man…" Her voice trailed off wistfully as she looked to the sky through the parting of the tree branches. If she squinted enough with her vampire sight, she could almost see the stars. Or maybe it was just an airplane going overhead.

"Oh? Do tell me more," Kol grinned playfully. "Particularly, how handsome I am," He latched onto those words.

Charlotte sighed and looked back to him. The smug expression caused her to roll her eyes, muttering, "Of course that's all you heard." She took a few steps ahead.

"Oh I heard the rest of it, darling," Kol corrected her. "I just think there's one thing missing in your moment." He tugged his hand slightly, to prompting her to stop.

Charlotte's heels stopped clicking and she turned to him curiously. "What's that?" She wondered, not getting it at first.

But she got it when he stepped up with her with that sly smirk on his face. He loomed into her personal space and she tilted her head up to match his gaze. He wasn't looking at her eyes though. It was the only permission he gave before he leant down swiftly and purposely to her.

Her hand slipped from his so her arms could loop around his shoulders while she indulged in the urge that had been bothering her since she watched him reading in the restaurant. Standing in the dark of the park, she learned what it meant to get caught up in Kol. After the fact, she couldn't tell you how warm or cold it was outside. She couldn't tell you how many people were nearby or if they stood under a tree. Because the only she cared about was the sensation of kissing him, the flurry it sent in her stomach, the ache in her core and the way her fingers curled into him. Her body leant up, earning more of his warmth. She felt steadfast with his arms moving around her.

Maybe it was one kiss or a series of several, but she reveled in the tingling sensation. She could taste the faint hint of the tannins from the Sauvignon Blanc she had held him drink quite a bit of. It mixed rather well with his natural and faintly salty taste.

When he finally eased away from her lips, a smile picked up on his face. He kept his wrists locked around her, holding her to his chest, waiting for her reaction. Even after he stopped though, she kept her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Her nose wrinkled up in a rather adorable way.

"Kol," Her voice came out like a whine. "You've got to stop kissing me like that…"

"Why?" His eyebrows rose.

She opened her eyes with a pout, her nose still wrinkled. "Because then I'm going to end up liking you too much."

"Too much?" He scoffed. "It's possible to like someone _too much_?"

"It is when it comes to _you,_" She retorted quickly.

Kol was almost offended. Maybe if he wasn't so relaxed he would have been. He also noticed she was fighting to keep a straight face. "Ouch, that hurts, darling," He threw a hand over his heart.

She let out a snort and rolled her eyes. She gave him a playful shove to break free of his arms and keep walking. While she was teasing, there was a part of her very afraid of liking him too much. The same part of her that was in denial about what was already there. It shouldn't be there. She had hurt her. He could be cruel.

But it was so damn hard when he followed after her like that and smiled so broadly. When he was so normal and human.

"For the record," Kol caught up to her and held his arm out for her. She slipped her hand through the hook and wrapped around his bicep while he whispering smugly, "I'm okay with you liking me too much."

* * *

Her eyes narrowed at him just briefly. She almost thought there was another meaning to his words, but figured she was imagining it. Ultimately, she laughed it off and they made their way back to the penthouse.

It was a couple of nights later when Charlotte found out what Kol did to the Bennett grimoire. He actually conned her into watching a movie with him that night. He wanted to see _The Two Towers _after watching the first one with her earlier. Rebekah was a little sour about it. She had wanted Charlotte to go out with her, but instead the younger vampire ended up in sweat pants on the living room couch.

"Would you stop squirming?" Charlotte was still trying to get comfortable even ten minutes into the movie. She poked a finger into his side.

"I would if you stopped fidgeting," Kol snapped back with her feeling the rumble of his chest.

She picked her head up and raised a warning finger towards him. "Hey, cooperative pillow was the compromise, remember?" She reminded him. It was the only way she agreed to putting up with him hogging most of the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Kol nodded, rolling his eyes. "C'mere," He muttered while shifting on the couch, sitting on more of an angle with his feet on the coffee table. He lifted his arm so Charlotte could tuck herself into his side, her shoulder between him and the back of the couch. She used his chest as a pillow before he dropped his arm around her, his hand resting on her hip.

"Better," Charlotte approved in a mock serious tone before going back to the movie.

Shortly after, Rebekah caught a sight of the pair on her way out of the penthouse. She took one look at the way they were tucked under a blanket watching the movie, gave a shake of her head and kept going.

Long after Rebekah left, Charlotte's mind wandered from the movie. "Kol," She said without lifting her head.

"Hmm?" He mumbled.

"What did you do to that spell book?" Charlotte wondered, thinking the name for them were a bit odd.

"I took out a spell and altered another," He answered her simply.

"What spell did you take?" Charlotte asked, remembering see the sketches of the clocks on that page he ripped out. She hadn't seen the parchment since that night.

"It was a spell created by Emily Bennett," He responded honestly. He didn't seem the harm in telling Charlotte. She was on vervain… And that was the moment he oddly realized that he trusted her. He wasn't sure when it exactly happened, but he became aware of the fact it just was. "It enchants items that when they're activated they'll incapacitate any werewolf or vampire in a five block radius…" The one featured in the grimoire had been passed down several generations as a Gilbert family heirloom.

"A five block radius?" Charlotte's eyebrows rose in an alarmed, but impressed way. "That would be like the size of…" Being more of a visual person, she tried to compare it to something.

"Say the French Quarter of New Orleans?" Kol supplied for her.

"Oh," Charlotte mumbled. She wasn't thinking of that example, but now she got it.

"So you can imagine why I'm not too keen on handing the grimoire to the New Orleans witches with that spell in it," He thought aloud. That was one advantage over the vampires and any werewolves that might still be around that he couldn't allow. "Especially with my siblings there."

He considered them lucky as it was that the Bennett ancestors squandered that spell as long as they did. It was the first he had seen of it. He couldn't imagine what type of havoc that would cause in the supernatural world if more items were enchanted like that, especially in large urban areas like New York and Chicago.

Charlotte frowned slightly in confusion at the afterthought, but she let it go for the moment. "And the spell you altered?" She prompted.

"I just added a condition to the desiccation spell for Niklaus," Kol answered her. His voice was low and smooth. If he wasn't talking about such morbid subjects, Charlotte would have found it hard not to be lulled to sleep. "In which only the blood of kin will be able to revive him later."

Charlotte's thoughtful frown grew even more pronounced. Now she was definitely confused about his motivations. "I don't understand…" She voiced her concern. "Why?" It almost sounded like he was being protective of the brothers he swore to cause suffering.

Kol delayed quite a bit before answering her. He finally just shrugged his shoulders and declared as if it was the most obvious and simple fact in the world, "Because they're my brothers." He thought of words he had once heard from each of them, both while living and dead. "It's a family matter. I want them to suffer on my terms. It's not up to anyone else."

Charlotte noticed his words weren't as vicious as before, if anything a little possessive. She stared off at the television, thinking about those words and the faint heartbeat she heard from her ear pressed against his chest.

"You're a good man, Kol," Charlotte said aloud sincerely. "When you let yourself be."

He gave a dismissive snort. "Darling, you don't know me nearly well enough to say that…" If she had even the faintest idea…

"It doesn't matter," She disagreed with him in a soft whisper. "I've already seen it."

That comment wiped the smirk right off his face. He missed a good portion of the movie from staring down at the top of her head after that, thinking about her.


	25. Never Look Back

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! So things are going to get emotionally intense starting with the bombshell in this chapter and the decision Kol has to make next chapter. Just a warning, I'm keeping the first part of this story to 30 chapters or less. Then I'm going to take a short break between part one and part two since I'll be moving from Russia to the United States (it should only take a couple of days to get settled). Arya, thank you so much! I actually kind of enjoy having Charkol not directly talk about their feelings and just having things unfold or external factors address it (like this chapter). I understand exactly what you mean, thank you! Kilera, here's more and the last of Rebekah. Really this story is about Kol and Charlotte. I removed Elijah and Rebekah from the tags to clear up the confusion. Mary VA, I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff! I'm glad you enjoyed it because I can't promise a happy ending to the first part of this story. Thank you Kelly, yes it's a lot of Charkol for the rest of this ride. Note, I did change some canon things from TO, because... well I don't watch it and that's the point of fanfiction, right? **

* * *

"_**Look at yourself, Kol. How long has it been since you've cared about someone more than yourself?" – Rebekah Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[Jet – Look What You've Done]_

* * *

Everything in New York changed a few days later. It had started off as a normal afternoon. Kol surprised Charlotte by swinging in the café at the end of her shift and walking back with her to the penthouse. It was during that walk she introduced him to the concept of iced coffee. She laughed and found it amusing how he made faces over the traditionally hot beverage being cold. The laughter subsided when they returned to the penthouse. It only took a few moments after dumping their empty cups and jackets before they noticed something seemed off.

Kol heard the sniffling first. He exchanged a look with Charlotte and she nodded to. Her suddenly serious expression told him she heard it too. Wordlessly, the two moved towards the source in the living room with Kol in the lead.

That was when they spotted Rebekah sitting by the window wall. She had one of the chairs dragged up to the glass. Her body was angled, they could only see the profile of her tear stricken face. She had a wine glass in one hand and her shoulders shook with the frequent silent sobs.

"Rebekah…" Kol drew her name out with concern and alarm, rather than taunting. It wasn't the first time he's seen his sister cry, but he generally liked to know the cause of it. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head at first. She used the back of her hand to sloppily wipe at her cheeks, causing the wine to swish around in the glass. "I got a call from Elijah and Nik," She said.

"Ah," Kol mocked lightly. "I would be upset at the sound of their voices too."

"Shut it, Kol," Rebekah snapped out, not amused in the slightest. Her eyes went back to the window, her face reflecting in the glare of the glass. "Everything's turned into a goddamn mess," She murmured.

"Did you tell them about me?" Kol asked her seriously this time.

"No," Rebekah answered him, the attitude still a little present. "We were a little occupied with the war about to break out in New Orleans."

"War?" Kol repeated, his brow furrowing.

"Uh, yeah," Rebekah looked back to him, gesturing with the wine glass. "That peace treaty the factions signed was a bunch of bullshit from the beginning. It's going to be a bloodbath soon."

Kol's head jerked back slightly and looked to Charlotte. He could see the same confusion. Marcel had certainly failed to mention just how bad things were in New Orleans. Trusting him had been a risk from the beginning. He should have expected it.

"And now on top of the vampires, werewolves and god knows who else at each other's throats, Mikael is trying to come back," Rebekah's voice hiccupped a bit from the rushing of her words. "I wouldn't put it past those bloody witches to make sure he does."

"Wait, Mikael?" Kol startled, his alarm growing to a new level. "He's trying to cross back over?" His tone had a nervous edge in it.

Rebekah nodded before taking a large gulp of her wine. It made much more sense now why she was a wreck. The anxiety of that prospect would do either of the main three in.

Kol, however, had mixed feelings about it. Yes, he used Mikael before to tip off their locations in the past, just to rub some salt in the wound and knock Niklaus off his pedestal. He would also likely help Kol with he came to him in New Orleans. But the problem that laid with Mikael was the fact he wanted Niklaus dead, not desiccated. In the past, he didn't have white oak, so he didn't feel particularly guilty about conniving with Mikael. But after experiencing death himself, Kol was torn.

"You weren't kidding about the Other Side falling apart," Rebekah choked out. "Apparently he was haunting Elijah and Nik… He even took a pass at Hayley."

Kol averted his eyes and fell silent. During that silence, Charlotte looked to him, feeling her stomach knot at the tension. She could see him stuck in a hard place. She knew of his plans with Marcel, but yet, even after everything that happened, there was still family.

"What are we going to do?" Kol asked in a low voice, not giving away how he felt. He knew his options, but he needed to hear them aloud.

"I'm going to go back," Rebekah knew they would need her help. Her brothers were incapable without her. She couldn't help but the disbelieving mutter between words though, "Just when I got free." Then she looked to Kol pointedly and rose to her feet, "But you're not coming with me."

Kol opened his mouth to question why, but then her body turned to face them fully and revealed something he hadn't seen before. At her side, she held a long piece of sharp wood, which had a glistening web of silver around it.

Kol let out a swear, his eyes widening. He visible startled several steps back and threw out an arm behind him, forcing Charlotte behind him by the waist. His shoulders ceased up with tension like a bear trap set off. He raised his other hand pointing to the infamous indestructible White Oak Stake.

"Bekah…" Charlotte heard Kol's shake with a lot of emotions before, particularly anger, but this was the first time she heard fear. "What are you doing with that?"

His last living moment with Rebekah had been spent threatening her with the same weapon before he burned by it. This felt too much like her threatening to do whatever it took to stop him.

"I took it with me when things got bad in New Orleans," She explained, remembering how difficult it had been to get it from Klaus. For a moment, she looked down at the stake. If you looked close enough, you could see the faint tinge to the wood from the last victim. "I don't want to lose anymore brothers," She murmured tearfully.

Kol's expression began to splinter between looking at the stake with anxious fear and suspicion and to his sister with cracking resolve.

"You're right, Kol," Rebekah stated with sad resignation, her teary blues meeting his. She admitted, "I've been a terrible sister. A shitty one, really," She dropped any eloquence for frankness. "I've done a lot of despicable things to you. I wasn't there, none of us were. Then a dagger to your back and even worse after that… All for a Cure that I didn't even get."

"And before that…" She paused to wipe her cheeks with the back of her hand. Seeing the movement of the stake caused Kol to subconsciously tense again. Behind him, Charlotte was watching, barely breathing. She had one placed on his shoulder blade, letting him know where she was without him looking at her. Her other hand wrapped around the bicep of the arm shielding her.

"No matter how much I apologize, how much I beg, grove… Nothing is going to change what I've done or what I didn't do," Rebekah's hand tightened on the stake, shaking with the emotions sending her nerves on edge like a livewire.

"But I can change things," Her voice began to shift with determination. "_Now_ is a chance to change things."

"What are you talking about?" Kol asked of her. He looked more like the older brother she remembered huddling in the caves at the full moon. The one that told her that everything would be okay, even if he didn't know for sure.

"I didn't tell Elijah and Nik that you're alive. And no one in New Orleans knows. If that's where Mikael is, he doesn't know either, but he will if he traces me back to New York and finds you here," Rebekah wasn't going to tell anyone either, even if it was possible to compel her. "And that's why you're going to run, far and fast."

"_What_?" Kol was practically speechless. It didn't happen often, but his mind was in a whirlwind at everything that was happening so fast.

Rebekah could see that he wasn't getting it through his thick skull why she was doing this. "You wanted your own life back, right?" She reminded him of what he said to her the first night. "This is that chance, Kol. This is your chance to be free, of all of it, for the both of us." For once, she was going to be selfless rather than selfish for him. "Nik, Elijah and I… We can deal with Mikael, but you should run. Take Charlotte with you and go have that life."

Kol squeezed his eyes shut briefly and shook his head, like if he was trying to shake the words he heard out of his ears. Even Charlotte had something to protest at that point, but Kol beat her to it.

"What does Charlotte have to do with this?" He wondered, getting thrown off guard again.

Despite her emotional state, Rebekah managed to pull together a knowing reprimanding glare. "Come on, it's obvious you're in love with her, you dolt," She snapped out.

She really wanted to resent the girl that had weaseled her way into the family property. Especially when Rebekah witnessed over and over how much Kol doted his rarely shown affection on her. Even the twisted affection, like the way Kol used to obsess over who Rebekah used to be out all night with. Now when he was tangled up with Charlotte, he didn't even notice her leaving. It made it even harder when she started to get to know Charlotte and found it was difficult to hate her.

Kol balked and sputtered immediately. His head jerked back, his expression twisting with various degrees of disbelief. "What? Don't be so ridiculous, Bekah," Kol scoffed immediately. "What would –"

"Oh, please!" Rebekah's voice rose suddenly, almost a shriek overpowering Kol. "Look at yourself, Kol!" She gestured with the tip of the stake towards him.

The movement caused his expression to snap shut quickly, his eyes darting down again to the offending object. This time it wasn't pointed at his heart though, rather the arm he had held out behind him.

"How long has it been since you've cared about someone more than yourself?" Rebekah challenged him, lowering her voice, but it was still just as powerful. Even after everything that happened to him, he still subconsciously placed himself between Charlotte and the stake.

Kol's mouth hung open while he followed her gaze. He looked down at his arm, seeing Charlotte's hand wrapped around it. She could see the profile of his face as that expression morphed into a clenched eyes and jaw. A condemning grimace passed through him. It seemed to pain him and he had no retort. He didn't dare look Charlotte in the eyes and he didn't say anything to his sister.

Rebekah was sure that Charlotte had gone stiller and paler than many statues she had admired before.

"And that's why you're going to take this stake," Rebekah choose then to continue. She turned the stake around to offer the blunt end out to Kol. "Hide it, destroy it if you can, but I don't ever want to see it again. We'll find another way to get rid of Mikael," She said stubbornly.

Kol looked to her and despite the hard locked features, she thought there was a gloss to his eyes. Or maybe it was just the blur of her own tears in her eyes.

"When the day comes it safe again, I'll find you," Rebekah promised him. "But until then, run. Go live, Kol. And don't look back, ever."

She gave the stake an insistent shake for him to take it. He looked as if he had a million things he wanted to say. A million disagreements or balking. Hell, she would even take a condescending remark about her being too emotional and impulsive, but he said none of those things.

Hesitantly, he raised a hand towards the stake. There was a slight shake in his fingers before they wrapped around the wood and Rebekah let go of it.

"Not even once," She whispered and she knew that he understood.

He gave one resigned nod.


	26. Breaking the Pattern

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Here's some nice character growth this chapter. I hope you're as proud of Kol as I am! Lizzy B, thank you! I ultimately decided to redeem Rebekah a bit in this story. I'm glad you're enjoying it! Blackrose, aw thank you so much, that's so sweet of you to say! I'm glad you like the song choices, I do actually put a lot of thought into them. Mary VA, you can definitely draw a parallel between Kol's conviction for revenge and TVD Klaus' to "hunt down Tyler" - funny how a blonde is involved in both. ;) And yes, it'll be a short break, Kelly, but needed considering the move I'm making. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

* * *

"_**I'm going wherever you're going." – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Carolina Liar – Show Me What I'm Looking For]_

* * *

Rebekah didn't stay long after their conversation. She got on the road almost immediately to drive straight to New Orleans. She said she would drive all through the night if she had to in order to get there on time. Things were a little different for Charlotte and Kol. Even though he took the stake from Rebekah and listened to her, she knew that he hadn't made up his mind.

Kol agreed very easily to wanting a chance to talk. They left the penthouse and ended up at a picnic table in Central Park sitting across from each other. In between them on the table, Kol rolled the white oak stake between his fingers. It seemed more like a nervous tick than anything else while they talked. Kol went on to explain some of the story behind New Orleans and what he heard about the last time Mikael had been there.

"You really think Mikael would help you if he came back?" Charlotte questioned aloud, having done her best to keep up with the complicated Mikaelson familial relationships.

Kol nodded solemnly. "He was always after Klaus, he wasn't after the rest of us. I've helped him before, I know he would help me this time," He said confidently. He then paused with a sigh. "However… I don't know at what point he'll stop. If he'll stop."

It went without say that Mikael would try to kill Klaus, not desiccate him. Even if he was desiccated, it would make him vulnerable to be killed.

A disturbing thought came to Charlotte that she had to ask about, "Wouldn't a lot of people die too if Klaus did?" She remembered seeing Kol's sire line on the Other Side.

"Yes," Kol answered lowly, staring at the stake on the table. "Most of New Orleans… Chicago… Italy… France." His eyes then went up to her with a frown, "The vampire that sired you is from his bloodline."

Charlotte's stomach gave a nervous flip. She didn't even want to ask how he knew that for sure. "I would die too?" She murmured weakly. The idea of going back to the Other Side terrified her, if there was even anything left of it.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," Kol actually disagreed with her, earning a confused look. "You were severed from the sire line when you died… but you came back, and not from any vampire's blood, so I don't think you have a sire line _now_…" His brow furrowed in thought, he added on afterwards, "At least until you start turning vampires."

While they came back to the land of the living and they were vampires, they were still different. His sire line was gone and he would assume so were her attachments to hers. It was odd being alive, but different from the rest, even from vampires. They were unique and she was the only one he could find companionship in this new experience with.

Charlotte made a face at the idea of turning people, but that was a thought she wasn't even going to go near that today.

"Do you want to know what I think?" She asked of him, unsure if he would. She figured part of their talk was just a chance for him to sort out his thoughts.

To her surprise, he opened his palm towards her and raised his eyebrows in a manner for her to proceed.

"Okay," Charlotte sat up straighter, leaning her elbows against the table. "I think you have a choice to make right now. It's not easy one either." Kol nodded along easily enough.

"One – you could New Orleans," Charlotte held up a finger. "You could go after Klaus and Elijah like you said. The witches would probably help you too. Make them suffer and all that. But there'll also be Mikael. It'll be back to what you said your family has always been about before, fighting and power. The same fight it's always been. Maybe it'll work to Klaus down, maybe it won't. Maybe you'll just have to deal with Mikael instead. You don't know what he's been doing on the Other Side, if he still wants the same things or not. But you could do all of that to risk getting yourself killed again." Her tone was blunt, but not accusing. Just looking in her eyes, he could see she didn't want that to happen.

She didn't say anything that surprised him. The scenarios were running rampant through his mind. It was just different hearing them from someone else that was thinking the same thing.

"Or," Her tone shifted and the other finger went up. "You could take Rebekah's offer and have faith that she'll keep her word." She could see the apprehension immediately in his expression. It didn't stop her though. "She's right, you have a chance to break the pattern. This pattern of fighting, century after century with your family. You can leave it behind and have that life you talked about. You can go somewhere far away from all of this. Make your own image and identity again."

If starting a new life was really what he wanted this was the time to show it. On the other hand, if he really only cared about revenge, then it would show as well depending on his decision.

Kol sighed and didn't say anything at first. He appreciated that she wasn't trying to tell him what decision to make. He fidgeted with the stake absently, not wanting the thing out of his sight until he figured out what to do with it.

"And what about you?" He asked of her. He didn't have his mind made up, but he wasn't the only one that had to make a choice. "You can't stay here in New York. Rebekah's right, if Mikael comes looking here and finds you…" His voice trailed, he didn't want to go into some of his more infamous methods for getting information.

It was a shame, she was just starting to get settled here in the city. She had a job, she started to make some friends, she was starting to become more comfortable with what she was.

"It doesn't matter," Charlotte gave a content smile that Kol didn't understand where it came from. She reached forward and placed her hands over top his. "I'm going wherever you're going," She declared, the same decision she had made in a dingy motel room. She could always start over again now that she knew how.

Kol was left speechless. The admiration and confidence in her eyes was so innocent. He didn't think it should be placed in him, if only she knew. But he was also selfish and he took it. A genuine grin picked up on his lips.

* * *

It was strange for her to pack without knowing where she was going. She could be going to New Orleans, but she could also be going to any point of the world. All Kol told her was to pack the essentials and only take one suitcase. The rest they could come up with later when they arrived. The problem was she had no idea where they were going. She thought about asking him if he made up his mind, but she soon figured out it would be the equivalent of children asking their parents if they were there yet.

She knew this because during the course of her packing, she saw him sitting on the laptop in the study area, just staring at the screen for a long time. Ultimately, he ended up printing out four different sets of boarding passes before he went to grab his own bag.

It left her shaking her head at the idea of spending so much money on tickets they might not use. Either way, Charlotte was waiting by the door with her suitcase when Kol came from upstairs with his. It was then he chose to address the one awkward elephant in the room that had been lingering since Rebekah pointed it out.

He hesitated at the door, seeing her there waiting for him. He wondered if she was agreeing to this because of what Rebekah said.

"Charlotte…" He said her name carefully, causing her to turn to him. Today was unusual, his expression was constantly marred with indecision and conflict, compared to the usual composed smugness.

He actually wasn't even sure how to begin, "What Rebekah said about us –"

"It's fine!" Charlotte cut him off quickly, raising a hand. "You don't have to say anything," She shook her head.

It threw him off at how quickly she knew what he was talking about. She was thinking about the same thing, then. "No?" He quirked an eyebrow, recovering.

"No," Charlotte remained firm. "I get it. She was just trying to get a rise out of you. I know how siblings are. We got more important things to worry about anyway, right?"

Rebekah had just been taunting Kol, right? Charlotte wanted to believe that because she didn't want to find out if what she said was true or not. If it was true, she didn't know how to handle that. It was tough enough trying to sort out of her own conflicting emotions about him without adding his. And if it wasn't true, then why hurt her pride unnecessarily by confirming it?

But by God, the way Kol stared at her after saying that made her want to squirm. His expression was deadpanned and his eyes unreadable. It felt like she was being burned in the sun again each second that drew by.

_One… _

_Two… _

_Three… _

_Four…_

"Right," He finally agreed with her in a low tone.

He then stepped around her and led the way out of the penthouse abruptly with a frown on his face.

* * *

He didn't make up his mind while they waited for the taxi cab to the airport. Charlotte noticed that he had the tickets tucked in his jacket pocket. She had to keep herself from snorting in amusement when she remembered seeing him pack the white oak stake into his luggage bag. Somehow the thought of one of the most dangerous supernatural weapons in the world going through TSA security screening cracked her up.

* * *

She almost asked him if he made up his mind when they were sitting in the cab. It would have given her a distraction from the way his knee constantly bumped into her in the jostling of the drive. Or the warmth she felt from his thigh next to hers.

But she didn't ask him, because he took the boarding passes out during the drive. His brow was furrowed deeply while he flicked through them, staring at the names, but not really seeing them. She watched him. She wanted to reach to his face and ease the worry away from it.

* * *

Her anxiety was ratcheted tenfold when she found herself standing at the airport terminal and she realized Kol still hadn't made up his mind. She kept looking at him with a searching expression while he stood in front of the arrival and departure board. They had to check their bags in and go through security, but Charlotte still didn't even know where she was going. She didn't know what state, or country, or even what city.

Kol however wasn't even looking at her. He was checking the flight numbers and found they were on time. The one to New Orleans left an hour before the second option. He ran his hand through his hair, having thoroughly disheveled it all on his own by now.

Holding the sheets of paper in his hand, he let out an audible sigh. Following that was the sound of half of them being ripped up. Charlotte's eyebrows rose and he turned away from her briefly to step towards a trash can. He deposited the shreds and walked back towards her with the remaining set of boarding passes.

He held out one for her to take. Charlotte exchanged a look with him before she took it. She found the false name and information that he had given her across them. There was several connecting flights. He watched her as she flipped through each boarding pass before she found the final destination.

Her eyebrows rose and her lips quivered, somewhere between a silent gasp and a struggling. "Brazil," She murmured in wonder. "I've never been to Brazil…" Hell, she had never been outside the United States.

Kol's expression finally gave way to a faint grin at her reaction. "The beaches are stunning," He said simply, already imagining his little ocean siren on them.

Charlotte smiled so broadly her face nearly split in two.

She then abruptly threw her arms around him, pulling herself close to his neck. She heard him give a faint chuckle and his arms wrapped around her tightly. He inhaled her scent deeply, feeling himself starting to relax a little bit now that he made up his mind. It certainly helped seeing her reaction.

"I was hoping you would pick this one," She selfishly admitted in a whisper to him.


	27. Complimentary Beverage Service

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Here's a little insight to Kol's feelings this chapter. Brazil will be the main setting of part two, which will be titled It's Good To Be Alive, so these last few chapters will only introduce it. I'm thinking there'll be two more chapters after this one. Mary, that's awesome you're from Brazil! I hope I do it justice. I have a few followers on Tumblr from there so that's why I picked it. I just want to send a special thank you to Traviata, kilera, kellyxo, and BlackRose. It tickles me to see the review notices and hear from you guys! Thank you so much!**

* * *

"_**If it weren't for our flight boarding, I would tear your clothes off right now." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[American Authors - Love]_

* * *

It became real to Charlotte when they were going through security and getting their carryon bags checked by security. It was somewhere around the TSA officer questioning her about the purpose of her trip that Charlotte realized she really was leaving everything behind. It was different when she went from Virginia to New York. It was still her home country and a car drive away to everything that was familiar to her in this world. This time it was different, she was going to a different country that spoke a different language on a whole different continent.

And who did she have for a companion? Just one glance toward him sent a nervous knot through her stomach. He was dangerous and she was definitely attracted to him. It wasn't exactly the best combination for making rational decisions. But yet, he was the only person she would ever consider doing something this crazy with.

The first flight was relatively short to Atlanta. Charlotte didn't spend much time freaking out about what she was doing because Kol actually did a good job at distracting her. At first he was practically a spoiled child. He kept poking any button within reach, asking what it did. Of course one drew the attention of the stewardess, of which he flashed a toothy apology and Charlotte burst out laughing when she walked away.

She nodded off before the end of the flight. She woke up to the sensation of the plane descending and hearing the landing gear lower. It was much louder to her sensitive ears and the popping on the way up drove her nuts. But she was more embarrassed to realize she nodded off against Kol's shoulder. The Original just flashed her a smug smirk, taunting all in that one expression.

Everything caught up with her during the layover at Atlanta though. It didn't help that they were sitting, waiting at the gate for their first international flight in one of the highest trafficked airports in the world. All the people that were around them, walking by, talking, breathing, living. So much blood at the tips of her fingers, all it would take was a small tear of flesh.

And she was stressed enough. She had never gone on such a trip like this. There was something deeply unsettling in realizing you were leaving the only soil, the only earth you've ever experienced or been familiar with in your life.

"Charlotte," His voice came next to her ear, low and full of warning despite the slightly playful choice of words, "Try not to bear your fangs at the other passengers."

"It might make security a little upset," He hissed from the corner of his mouth. He had an arm across the back of her seat. It seemed casual, but he placed it there in case he had to grab her.

Charlotte snapped out her daze, of which she had been fixating on a woman chatting adamantly on her cell phone near them. "I'm sorry, I just…" Her voice trailed. Her hands rubbed at her temples, like if she was trying to shake away a bad headache.

"Did you feed before we left?" Kol wondered, tilting his head closer to get a better look at her.

"No, I…" Charlotte choked, feeling sheepish and stupid for forgetting. It wasn't like she could just bring some anyway. She was pretty sure blood counted in the category for the 3ml or less liquid restriction.

Kol let an agitated swear under his breath. He took one casual glance around them, making sure they weren't drawing attention. And this is why it was generally advised not to bring newborn vampires near large transportation centers. However, the alternative methods were too time consuming.

"And this is why I wish you weren't on vervain," Kol couldn't help snapping out lowly to her. One simple compulsion would have solved this entire situation. It could have turned her into a nice docile vamp until it was safe.

But no, now he had to make sure she didn't take a bite at anyone. In a highly public area with lots of people, cameras, and security.

"You can blame yourself for that," Charlotte bit back at him sourly, feeling irritable from the burning of her throat.

Kol shot her a glare at the comment, but damn it her eyes were starting to get very dark. "Alright, come on," He decided on an impulse. He stood up abruptly and grabbed her wrists, pulling her up as well. He didn't even wait to answer her confused expression.

He dragged her away from the rows of seats towards the large paned windows and the corner wall. The gate they sat at adjoined a couple of fast food stands, creating a small corner between the two that Kol backed himself up against with Charlotte's face shielding away from the people. At a distant glance, they just looked like a young couple having a quiet word.

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close against her. Her eyes' widened at the action. "Well, go on," He gave a side head jerked.

"What?" Charlotte didn't know what the hell was going on and what he was expecting her to do.

He sighed, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "You're going to have to be careful, make it look like you're hugging me. Especially with all the cameras everywhere," He instructed in a serious tone. He lifted one arm to wrap around her shoulders, partly blocking the profile of her face, but also keeping her close.

"Whoa, wait," Charlotte placed a hand against his chest, since really that was the only space left between them for her to protest. Her rational mind was a little slower to catch up on what he was suggesting. "You want me to…" Her voice trailed when her eyes moved to his neck. She could feel the salivation and the aching of her gums.

"I'm not going to offer twice, darling," Kol responded shortly.

"Okay, okay," Charlotte ushered quickly before she lost her meal. Her hands slipped down his torso, hesitantly moving her arms around his waist. He did say to make it look like she was embracing him, right?

She felt his deep breath and exhale from his chest against hers when she brought her lips to his flesh. Kol gave a faint flinch when she sank her teeth down. From the distance, her long wavy locks covered most of her head. Kol's expression was contorted, as if he was comforting her but a little upset himself. But he could hear her faint moan of satisfaction from the monster being sated.

"Easy there," He hissed into her ear when it became uncomfortable. "I'm not a chew toy." She was a little aggressive with the teeth. Inexperienced newborn, no surprise there.

The surprise came when she did actually let up. Her fangs withdrew, even if the vigor of the feeding didn't. It did allow for Kol to relax, a groan passing through his frame that came out a little more guttural than he meant. His arms held her tightly and he closed his eyes.

The moments passed slowly and she got her fill when he was thinking it was a shame they were in such a public place. He felt the wound beginning to heal on his neck, but he whispered, "Don't pull away until you're sure there's no blood." He really hoped she didn't get any on his shirt. That wasn't a talk he felt like having with TSA.

Her lips were already kissing and licking as his skin when she gave a faint resemblance of a nod. His fingers dug a little harder into her. He wondered if she even realized what she was doing. He had a hunch she did when he felt the hands around his waist move. They didn't pull back, but rather daftly slipping inside of the flaps of his jacket.

His eyes shot open when he felt her lips moving up along his neck. Her lips took their sweet time, caressing and tasting each inch they found. Her hands however, were not as shy, and he noticed how closely she had the rest of her body flushed against his. "Whoa, now," He began to murmur to her when he figured out what was going on.

"Ah! Okay," He scrunched his shoulders up slightly when she caught his earlobe in her teeth. Her lips hit a sensitive, slightly ticklish spot. "Okay, okay, that's enough of that," He reprimanded her, a faint grin on his lips. His hands shot down to her wrists to stop her. Damn, one got under his shirt and came too close to his belt for his liking.

"Charlotte," He raised his voice a little to snap her out of it, pushing her back by the wrists a bit and giving her a shake.

He saw the heavily glazed look of her eyes, the way her mouth was parted, yearning for more with flushed lips before she recovered. She snapped out of it like if she had been in a trance.

"What?" She mumbled faintly, bewildered. Even then, her eyes kept darting back to his neck.

"It would be good to remember where you are," He tried to break her out of it while not drawing attention to themselves.

Realization dawned on her an innocent, but painful manner. She just stared up at him, like a gaping fish. He still held her by the wrists between them, but he was glad her body wasn't pressed up against his anymore. He didn't need her feeling everything that was there, literally aching.

"If it weren't for our flight boarding," He whispered darkly, staring down at her. He heard the human at the gate desk announcing several numbers and the other passengers behind Charlotte were beginning to line up. He said before he thought better of it, "I would tear your clothes off right now."

Charlotte's eyes grew wide with mortification. Before she got a chance to say anything, he let go of her swiftly and went to back to their carryon bags. She took a few moments to calm down her frantic heart rate and let her mind catch up with what just happened.

* * *

Kol acted as if nothing had happened when they were putting their carryon bags into the overhead compartments. He was in front of her naturally. He took his bag and placed it up with ease due to his height. He turned towards Charlotte and held his hands out to offer to take hers.

"I'm sorry about that, I got carried away…" She chose then to apologize to him. Honestly, she hadn't thought she had it in her to be practically dry humping him and moaning in an airport. But the taste of blood, it was just too much.

"It's a natural reaction," Kol just shrugged his shoulders casually. "Nothing to be ashamed of," He assured her, even though he thought her reaction was a little stronger than what he expected. He had warned her that blood sharing was intimate.

"Although, I'm sure now you understand why I didn't want you making it a habit," He said after clipping the latch shut of the compartment. An intimate exchange needed strong feelings to illicit a strong reaction, but he kept that thought to himself.

His casual demeanor unnerved her even more. She did just hear him say that to her outside the gate, right? It wasn't just the blood induced high making things up in her mind. Maybe she was becoming paranoid and hearing things?

"Right," Charlotte nodded, remembering how angry he had been the first time she took a bite out of him. Before she could help herself, she asked, "So why did you let me now?"

Kol's expression just deadpanned in disbelief. "You still don't get it, do you?" He countered vaguely instead.

Charlotte's head jerked back at his cryptic words. What was that supposed to mean?

Kol just sighed and shook his head. "Right, pardon me," There was a hint of a bitterness to his tone that Charlotte didn't understand where it was coming from. "Next time I'll just let you slaughter a couple of innocent people in a high surveillance, public place," He muttered sarcastically and took a step back to let her into the row first.

That clamped Charlotte's mouth shut. She just meekly got into the window seat, feeling her cheeks blushing red. She stared out the window while Kol settled into the seat next to her. It wasn't until after the plane had gone through the departure routine and started to pull away from the gate did she look at him.

She reached her hand out to his on the armrest between them. "Thank you," She gave him sincerely.

Kol looked down to their hands. Rather than say anything, he just gave an understanding nod. His hand moved to take her fingers between his.

He was silent for a long time while the plane took off. He was lost in his thoughts, asking himself the same question she had just asked him.

Why did he just let her feed from him?

It was because she needed the blood. He didn't want to cause a scene. They didn't have time to deal with it. But that reason alone didn't seem satisfying enough to his conscious. There was another.

Because she's different. She's been there for him when no one else has been. She has been loyal, kind, and compassionate. She was the things that he wasn't. She was beautiful, but flawed like him. She had imperfections you could see. And those imperfections made her unique.

Eventually, he wondered at what point he had stopped considering her ordinary and average. He wondered just how much Rebekah's words would haunt him.


	28. Finding Home

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! Time skip here, but Brazil will be slowed down in the sequel. One more chapter after this one. I think we can speculate a lot about Kol's feelings for her after this heartbreaking decision. Mary, it would be possible for her to become addicted, but she would have to drink a lot. Kol drained her and that's a lot of blood if you think about it. Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone that has reviewed last chapter! I honestly get more motivated to write when I get those little bits of feedback. I love it and I love you guys. And I'm super curious to see how you think Charlotte will react next chapter.**

* * *

"_**I'm trying to be a good man." – Kol Mikaelson**_

* * *

_[John Legend – All of Me]_

* * *

Settling into Brazil was a whirlwind experience. The first two weeks passed by quicker than Charlotte anticipated. When they arrived, she didn't know what to expect for housing, but it was the extravagant villa. Kol met up with a sixteenth century vampire by night and real estate agent by day when they first arrived. Charlotte didn't understand most of their exchange, but she gathered the estate they went to afterwards was sold off to the bank after a wealthy European went through an ugly divorce and had to liquidate some assets to pay for it.

When Charlotte imagined running away, she envisioned hiding out in a cave or something like that. Apparently that wasn't the style of the Mikaelsons.

The villa was nestled into the side of the Corcovado Mountain, overlooking the majority of Rio de Janeiro. It contained entirely too many rooms and just as many guest rooms. However, there was a balcony that led off the main living room through wide terrace doors. When Charlotte made a playful pout about it being removed from the actual beaches, Kol pointed out the infinity pool surrounding by gardens below the balcony. And if that wasn't enough, he did show her a private beach that was shared by the other residences in the gated guarded community.

The lifestyle in Brazil was much different than what she was used to in the United States. The people had less in materials, but seemed more in family values. It made her grateful for what she had and question what was really important at the end of the day.

The supernatural side of things was alarmingly different. At first, the villa had a wait staff and maintenance crew. Kol requested a different wait and care staff when they found out the previous workers didn't speak any English. The replacement ones spoke broken English, but it was something, Charlotte figured. It still made her feel isolated being so different from them, unable to express the same ideas and emotions.

To her surprise, the employment of the humans in the household was voluntary, including the ones that were fed on. They didn't take vervain, but they did have some specific compulsions to protect confidentiality. However, they swore they were happy to have their positions. When Charlotte asked Kol about it, he said they were compensated generously, usually with money and/or protection for their families.

Blood didn't come from the sterilized bags at hospitals. Instead, Kol found some underground service that brought loosely labeled bags to the house every so often. The healthcare infrastructure wasn't anything like the United States so it wasn't like they could go robbing banks like they used to. The gentleman with a thick mustache and sweaty hands swore that the blood only came from voluntary donors. However, Charlotte couldn't help but wonder how she would ever know otherwise.

Charlotte didn't see much of Kol in the first two weeks. He immediately got in touch with old contacts who then brought him into the black markets, which apparently where most of the supernatural circulated in Rio. Vampires focused primarily on organ and blood trades, arms and some drug trades as well. She heard Kol make mentions about the arms deals, but swore that the drug and blood runs were beneath him. He was leaving those to adolescent hot-headed vamps that dealt with the scum of humanity, as he put it.

Charlotte wasn't comfortable with his business opportunities, so she decided it was best to stay out of it. After New York, she knew better than to try to argue him out of it. At one point, she did ask Kol why he was getting involved at all if they were supposed to be lying low.

His response was, "I have no interest in taking over Rio, but I do want to have a run on it… That way if any of my family members come sniffing anywhere near Brazil, I'll know about it before they can say 'Você já viu Kol?'"

She understood his reason, but also thought this was the type of environment that he thrived in. Rio had two faces in her eyes. There was the glamorous landscape and beaches, the type that ended up on postcards. They had an excellent vantage of the lights, twinkling at night with innocence. By not too far away from the resorts, there were slums of such poverty that Charlotte had never seen before. There were dark areas of Brazil that weren't safe for her to venture into, vampire or not. There were the riots against the police and atrocities she didn't fully understand.

Kol blended into the darker side easily. She had expected him to speak multiple languages from all his experience, but nothing prepared her for the first time she heard Portuguese pass his lips at the airport. From there, he seemed to have no difficulties communicating with the people around them. When she asked him about it, he just shrugged his shoulders and insisted that he actually needed to catch up with the dialects. Charlotte couldn't help but feel a little sour and inexperienced. Her brief high school and college lessons in French would be of no use here.

Charlotte didn't blend. She spent much of her time at the villa while Kol was away. She wasn't sure if it made her want to laugh or cry how much she was like one of those young girlfriends that the older European men brought with them in the homes around them. At least Kol wasn't physically old and wrinkly, right? Charlotte took her time to relax around the villa, especially in the pools and dancing in the morning. She tried to shake her stresses and find some peace.

Otherwise, she did go into town, but usually with one of the wait staff present. They would guide her along, usually in hurried paces. Their words were terse and brief, half the time feeling like she was being bossed around rather than the other way. After going to the shops once that way, Charlotte didn't feel too inspired to go back.

Charlotte eventually came to one conclusion about Brazil. It was beautiful and in time she could come to enjoy her time here when she didn't feel so uncomfortable and isolated, but it wasn't home. She didn't know where home was, but it wasn't here.

She stopped counting the days when she caught Kol at the villa in the early settling of the dusk hours. He was out on the balcony, lounging in one of the chaise chairs that had plush white pillows. She smirked at him, pausing at the doorway of the glass doors. She didn't have any complaints about his attire since arriving. Due to the hotter weather, he was frequently in shorts and loose white button up shirts. She noticed the way the top buttons were usually left open, giving a peak of chest hair that left her to wonder about the rest.

Tonight, he had his legs stretched out with one knee up. He had a glass of what she guessed to be some sort of whiskey in one hand with his other tucked behind his head. Lazily, his eyes gazed down at the bustling city before them. They were far enough to avoid the noise, leaving them in the low humming of the woods of the mountainside.

"Hey stranger," Charlotte called out to him, approaching slyly.

He lifted his gaze to her. A lopsided grin passed over him. She had a semi-sheer black beach wrap over her suit she had been swimming in earlier. The front flaps were cinched together by a belt around her waist. The fabric hung down to just above her knees. Her feet padded lightly against the stone as she came to his chair.

"Stranger?" Kol quirked an eyebrow while Charlotte sank into the space beside him. Naturally, he dropped the hand behind his head to wrap around her shoulders.

"Mhmm," Charlotte mumbled while tucking her head against his shoulder. She understood being physically close to him like this felt so natural because of the blood they've shared, but she still selfishly enjoyed it.

"I feel like I've barely seen you since we got here," She tried to keep her voice neutral and not sounding needy while she slipped her arm around his waist. She heard glass clink against stone from Kol setting his drink aside before another hand was placed over her forearm.

"Is that so?" He hummed out, in a rather subdued and relaxed mood. There was a faint hint of teasing.

In fact, the more she thought about it, he made a lot of teasing remarks since the airport – more and more sexual ones. But he didn't actually do anything since then. He hadn't tried to kiss her once and Charlotte thought she was mad when she realized she was put out by that.

Charlotte didn't answer him, but felt his thumb stroking against her shoulder in a soothing manner.

"Do you like it here?" Kol asked of her when he only got silence. He sounded genuinely interested in her wellbeing.

Charlotte inhaled slowly, but hesitated on how to response. Truthfully, she couldn't say so, but at the same time she didn't want to ruin a peaceful moment by upsetting him.

Instead, she went with the honest truth, "I like being with you." She knew she liked being physically close to him and the attraction was there. But lately, it was becoming harder to distinguish the lines between physical and emotional attraction. Everything was becoming a blur, which was exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Kol's hand stopped moving on her shoulder and she was pretty sure that he stopped breathing to.

She dared to lift her head so that she could look at him. His eyes were staring back at her. The contrast of his features was even starker in the ambient light coming from the windows of the villas. He didn't say anything, but his eyes darted over her features.

With her heart a lump in her throat and a moment of insane courage, Charlotte decided to lean up to him. Her eyes only closed when her lips brushed against his, the familiar soft feel. Her lips settled over his and when she felt his begin move against him, she reached her fingers to his jaw. She felt the faint stubble starting to grow along his chin. Her neck strained at her angle, but as the kiss grew bolder she shifted her body. She moved to sit more upright and lean into him. He made a soft noise when her fingers slid back into his hair.

Her tongue flicked against his lower lip. She felt his hands tighten on her before he parted his lips for her. Charlotte felt herself on a dangerous line that her body beckoned to cross. She didn't know exactly how she felt about him, but she knew what physically felt good and he could give her that.

With that idea in mind, she boldly and slowly lifted one leg to straddle over his hips. Her hands went to his shoulders. Kol's eyebrows rose and he let out a small grunt. Only once she settled over him did he ease back from the kiss, mostly for air.

His eyes opened, searching out hers. She wasn't sure what he was looking for in her panting, yearning expression. But he did give a slow smirk. He didn't look away from her as his hands moved to the belt at her waist. Her tongue darted out against her lips while he undid the knot. Feeling the warm, humid air against her skin was all the permission she gave before leaning back to him.

Her stomach quivered slightly at the first contact against his hands. For the other times she had kissed him, she had been a better state of dress. Feeling his hands slide along her sides and thighs spurred the burn in her even further.

The kiss was firmer, hungrier this time. She kissed him without abandon and it felt liberating to just feel rather than think. She felt his teeth graze against her lower lip before she pushed him back. Her hands run up and down his chest. Her fingers bunched against the fabric, hesitating between deciding to rip the buttons or pull it over his head.

His hands squeezed at her rear, causing her to gasp and break from the gasp. It didn't stop him. His lips moved down the corner of her mouth and to her neck. She was clutching the back of his head and his shoulders when she felt him sucking at the flesh and his teeth scrape tauntingly.

But then everything came to a halt.

Kol gave a sharp inhale and went rigidly stiff around her. His fingertips dug into her skin, but didn't dare move.

"Charlotte," He murmured against her skin, his voice full of warning. Her eyes snapped open.

"When was the last time you had vervain?" Kol could feel the veins itching around his eyes, never mind the aching in his gums. There was something very lacking in her scent.

Charlotte felt herself pale a little bit and her eyes grow wide. "Um," She stuttered at first. "I might have missed a few days…" She said evasively. She was never very good about taking pills, even as a human. It hadn't been at the forefront of her mind in the midst of moving to a strange country with strange people and a strange language.

Kol wanted to make a comment about it being more than a few days, but he was too busy trying to control his breathing.

Charlotte was just left staring over his shoulders, trapped in his grip. All of the sudden, she really wanted to see his face. "I could go take some...?" She offered uncertain of what to do next.

"No," Kol nearly hissed out. "Not yet."

Charlotte squinted, wondering what that meant. It wasn't like they were talking about grabbing a box of condoms.

"Kol?" She called out to him.

He eased away from her neck finally with his expression held shut tightly. He let out another deep exhale before opening his eyes to look at her. The strain was still obvious in them. "Kol, what is it?" Charlotte asked of him, getting the sense it wasn't just bloodlust he was trying to control.

No, he was better at containing himself than this.

"Charlotte…" He whispered her name softly as one would a prayer.

She grew more confused and concerned by the moment. He pulled his hands away from her hips, moving up her body.

"I want you to know," He began to speak and that was when Charlotte understood the emotion most prevalent in his eyes. It was guilt. But what did he have to be guilty about? Charlotte wondered.

"I am trying to be a good man," He said quietly.

Charlotte's stomach gave a nervous lurch, which was torturous on her worked up state. Her mind and body was left in conflict. What was he talking about? She really hoped he wasn't deciding now to have a noble moment and not go through with this.

Before she could ask him about it, his hands went up to her face. They framed her face delicately as if she would break into a million pieces if he held her too tightly. But the way he was looking at her was causing her to break anyway.

"I want you to remember everything I took away from you," He compelled her in what would surely break, but free her.


	29. It Was Good To Be Seen

**Note: I do not own TVD or any of its affiliates.**

**Any sort of feedback makes my day! The main author's note will be at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

"_**It was good to see you." – Charlotte Davidson**_

* * *

_[Daughtry – No Surprise]_

* * *

Everything came rushing back to her like a damn gushing through the cracks. All the emotions.

The worry over his wellbeing.

The fear of his lashing out – seeing the body tossed to the ground.

The degradation he reduced to her.

She hated him for putting on her on her knees for him – exposed and vulnerable.

But she felt his vulnerability in the form of his arms round her, his hips rolling into her in slow thrusts.

She felt hot with overwhelming anger, but the heat from him consuming her.

All the memories came back to her like a movie on repeat. The tears that rolled her cheeks felt like a burn, just like the way he touched and caressed her beneath the shower.

She was already on her feet when she snapped out of the daze, having stumbled off of Kol's lap. The Original sat up and went after her, seeing her panic stricken and confused expression.

"Charlotte, wait," Kol reached out to her, trying to steady her and get her to see clearly.

"No!" She snapped out, yanking her hand away from them. Her feet wobbled, taking a few steps back from him. "Don't touch me!"

Her voice shook and cracked. Kol felt his expression begin to fall when she really looked at him. The hurt and betrayal was so evident it actually pained him; him of all people.

"You…" Charlotte stuttered, "You…" Seeing him now, she couldn't believe he was the same one that made her to do those things, but yet it was him. "How could you?"

In all of her life, she had been embarrassed at times and even rarely humiliated. But it was never like this. She had never been degraded and objectified in such a manner. He dehumanized her and that realization dehumanized him in her eyes because he knew her and yet he still did that.

Maybe it was foolish of her, but she had thought was she was worth a little more than that.

"Charlotte, listen – wait!" He called after her, she turned on her heel to duck back into the house. She didn't slow down in the slightest, if anything speeding up with her hands going to her face.

Instead, he was met with the slamming of her bedroom door in his face.

"Darling, give me a chance to explain," He barked at the wood, demanding more than pleading. All he got in response was a muffled denial.

He tested the knob, of course it was locked. His hands curled together into fists against the wood. He was really tempted to knock the weak piece of wood down and force her to talk to him. But that was the problem. This whole situation started with force. He doubted it would resolve itself with force.

Truth be told, he didn't even know what to explain to her. His actions were what they were. What could he say that would make them better or worse than what had happened? Things were different now, he didn't expect it to hurt this much.

* * *

Shortly after trying to talk to her a few more times through the door, he heard the shower turn on in her room. The television was turned on next at a loud volume level. Either she was trying to drown him out or not let him have the satisfaction of hearing her tears. If only she knew it wasn't bringing him any satisfaction.

At first he just waited directly across from the door, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He glared stubbornly at the door. If she was going to be stubborn, so would he. A million thoughts ran through his mind.

So much for trying to do the right thing, he thought bitterly.

The fierce, negative emotions were the first ones to simmer down and be worn away. His stubbornness began to waver the longer he thought about it. The bitterness slipped away into remorse resignation. The gut sickening feeling didn't relent though, it just morphed a little bit. He still remained anxious at what this would mean for them. Would there be a _them_?

This was why he didn't want to tell her before. He didn't want to risk losing her, just when he realized he wanted her in the first place. But damn it all, her words ate at him and that nagging voice won over to tell her the truth.

Eventually, he backed away from the door. He went back out to the balcony after a couple of hours, to get some air. It was late into the night, the sky was black and there were fewer lights left in the city. It was never completely dark here though.

The shower was only run for a short while. He just listened to the house behind him. It was silent save for the appliances running distantly in the kitchen. The only other noises came from the occasional bumping and knocking within Charlotte's room. It drove him nuts wanting to know what she was doing and what was taking her so long.

* * *

He got his answer when he heard the door open. Following her footsteps was a low and steady drumming against the hardwood flooring.

Kol turned around and stepped through the balcony doors immediately, however, he froze at the sight of her. She changed outfits, into a rather casual pair of jeans and a light top. She had shoes on as if she was going somewhere. There were puffy bags under her eyes where he could tell she had been crying, but she had her expression pulled together with resolution.

That didn't bother him nearly as much as the suitcase next to her. He stared at it painfully and the silence between them resonated.

"You're leaving," Kol observed, there wasn't a trace of doubt in his tone, but it still looked as if he was taking a blow.

Charlotte swallowed thickly and nodded.

It was funny in a way that made her want to cry. For all the times she had told him that she wasn't his doll to toy with it, he still managed to force her to kill someone, had been killed by him, and abused her on a physical, psychological and sexual level.

Realizing that his actions were abusive and she was on the receiving end of it was the hardest part. But she couldn't ignore the bad in favor of the good moments with him. It was hardest decision she ever had to make because of how complicated it was.

She never thought she would be a victim. No one ever does.

"What kind of person would that make me if I stayed?" She countered him in a low voice, the shine in her eyes threatening a new round of tears. Now that she knew it, what would that say about her if she continued and let it go?

Kol didn't have a response for her and it made tougher on her to see him actually looking regretful.

"The truth is…" Charlotte shook her head wistfully. "I have so many problems, not just you, that I need to address…" Getting those memories back left her thinking about what it was that she was really doing in Brazil and how she came to this point in her new life.

"All I have been doing is running since I got back," She thought aloud. She ran to Mystic Falls, she ran to New York City, and now she ran to Brazil. "And that may be what you needed to do and you'll do fine here, you'll thrive, please don't go back," She actually pleaded for him, earning a conflicted grimace from the Original. He just stood before her with his head hung low and his hands in his pocket. All the words he thought of telling her died in his throat.

"But I haven't dealt with anything – I haven't dealt with my death, my family, nothing," Charlotte realized how immature it had been of her. She hadn't been given a true chance to cope, to mourn, and to move on properly. "I need to go home, I need to figure out who I am now and what I'm doing with my life. What I am worth."

"But I don't want you to go," Kol spoke up finally, in a low tone, almost like a pout. However, he was quite serious.

"I know," Charlotte whispered. She knew there was a dozen and one things that he could do to stop her, but she hoped he wouldn't. "But, please let me go."

All he thought of was the woman that begged him not to.

"I won't see you again, will I?" He heard the tone in her voice, the conclusion came off his lips bitterly, barely looking her in the eyes.

Charlotte actually shook her head in disagreement. "No, you will," She said. Forever was too long to say she would never see someone again. "I just can't tell you when… I need time."

Kol didn't look so convinced, but he held his tongue. The way he was taking it all in so respectively started to give her doubts.

No, her inner voice reprimanded her, she had to stick to what was best for her.

"For the record," Charlotte added on, even though she probably shouldn't have. It tugged at her heart to say it. "I don't regret seeing you," She didn't want to leave him with the wrong idea. He looked up with reserved interest. In that moment, he looked so boyish and human. But she knew better.

"It was good to be seen," She said honestly. He saw her when the others just missed her. She wouldn't regret the ride it had been coming back to life. There had been positives and her heart would be a mess to sort out after this.

"But you will be missed," Kol interrupted, his voice stern and determined.

Charlotte bit her lip and despite her best effort, she felt the tears well up. It was made worse when he stepped closer to her. His hands went to her shoulders and she stiffened right away, not sure what exactly he was doing. His kept his eyes on hers before tilting his chin up against her forehead.

His lips pressed a long, lingering caress against her skin. The tenderness of the one act caused her eyes to squeeze shut painfully.

When she opened her eyes the room was empty.

The ache in her heart was empty on the plane back to the United States – the ache of letting go.

* * *

**AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this fic. Don't fret, the journey is not over. The sequel will be posted shortly after my arrival back to the United States. It will be called It's Good To Be Alive. **

**I know some of you are going to freak on me a little, so I wanted to spend a few moments explaining my rationale for the ending. Yes, this is story about Charlotte and Kol, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was supposed to be about them getting together at the end. The real story was about Kol and Charlotte coming back to life and trying to cope (or in some cases not coping) with it. Therefore, getting together romantically isn't necessarily wasn't best for these characters.**

**In this story.**

**That being said, you can bet your ass you'll see Charlotte and Kol run into each starting the first chapter of the sequel. If you think about it, Charlotte and Kol really aren't at the same point in their lives emotionally and experience-wise. There are some things that Charlotte needs to deal with and address that doesn't necessarily involve Kol. **

**Anyway, I've rambled on too much. I hope you still enjoyed this ending, be sure to follow this story or follow me as an author. When the sequel is posted, I'll also post an alert here. **

**I want to send a special thank you to some of my readers who have followed me from the beginning nad kept rooting me on. Seriously, without your comments and feedback this never would have developed into a multi-part story. So thank you kilera, Traviata, Lizzy B, BlackRose, Kellyxo, songtoyou, Mary VA, The Great Things You Wish You Knew, and Atlafan! Some things you can look forward to in the next story is addressing what happened to Gloria, more appearances from the Originals, and a Latin America-centric story.**


	30. AN

**Hello everyone! I apologize for the Author's Note, but as I promised, this is notification of the publication of the sequel It's Good To Be Alive. It can be found by going to my profile under My Stories.**

**I know I originally promised more of a delay between postings of these stories, but I was packing for my move and ended up procrastinating by writing the first chapter so I opted to just go ahead and post it. That being said, I cannot give an estimate for the next chapter. Between all the traveling I'll be doing for the next week, who knows when it'll be, but I promise you won't have to wait super long. Thank you everyone that has taken the time to review my last chapter, it really means a lot to me!**

**I'm glad everyone was overall happy with Charlotte's decision to leave for a while. I'm excited to bring her back and see how these two mature together now. **


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